Green Card
by a-little-blonde-distraction
Summary: AU/AH: Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off then they thought when INS comes knocking. (Cover by Leah a.k.a. approvesomuch)
1. Chapter 1

_**Green Card  
**_(Inspired by the Peter Weir film)

_Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off then they thought when INS comes knocking._

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello all! Thank you so much for reading my story! I absolutely loved writing _Taking a Chance_, and many asked me to write more, which is such a compliment and I can't believe it! I had a million ideas, narrowed it down to two, then my friends in the Tumblr-verse helped me narrow it down to this one idea.

And just an FYI, I'm not sticking as closely to the film's plot as I did with _The Holiday_, I just adore _The Holiday_ and filled in some scenes where I could and let myself give into my Klaroline/Mabekah feels. The movie itself takes place over two weeks but is 2 hours so they skip a lot of day and I really had fun writing those. I also can't stick too closely to this film because... well a lot of reasons, but to name a few:

There's no _language barrier_ with Klaroline like there is with George and Brontë in the movie; Caroline and Brontë have completely different jobs; Caroline's reason for wanting the apartment is totally different from Brontë reason in the movie; Klaus is... George is... okay, I love Gerard Depardieu, he's a phenomenal actor and so adorable, but he and Klaus have... different body types, so needless to say, some of Brontë's insults just won't make sense when hurtled at Klaus instead... But if you liked _Dead Poets Society_, I highly recommend watching _Green Card_. The incomparable Peter Weir directed, wrote, and produced _Green Card_ and was the director of _DPS_ too!

Sorry this A/N was much longer than I intended, I promise they won't be this long after this!

Anyway, I won't keep you any longer... Ladies and gentlemen, I present...

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

Caroline drummed her fingers on the table top and shook her crossed foot under the table nervously. She glanced at her watch again and took a sip from her coffee cup. She felt her stomach growl at her and she sighed to herself.

"_You shouldn't have gotten another cup on an empty stomach._" she told herself. She shouldn't be drinking coffee on an empty stomach, but she had felt bad just sitting and taking up a seat in Paris Cafe without ordering anything. She would've ordered one of those delicious, freshly baked croissants that she smelled, but she knew she'd regret that later. She was too nervous to keep food down right now. She anxiously glanced at her watch again and told herself she'd give him another twenty seconds before she texted him to see where he was. Just as she went to raise her coffee cup to her lips again she saw the familiar face and crazy hair full of gel and smiled as she stood to greet him.

"Hey! Sorry to make you wait!" Stefan called to her, crossing into the cafe and greeting Caroline with a hug.

"Oh don't worry, you're exactly on time." she smiled and sat back down, Stefan taking off his coat and hanging it over the chair across from her.

"I see some things haven't changed," Stefan grinned as he watched Caroline check her watch again and glance out the window. "How is my favorite neurotic control freak?" Caroline shot him a look and threw a sugar packet at him, which bounced off his chest lightly, making Stefan laugh.

"Shut up, I am not neurotic..." she muttered, gripping her coffee mug with both hands to try and calm herself, "But if I were neurotic, I'd have every right to be neurotic today of all days."

"No reason to be neurotic… A little nervous, maybe, but not neurotic." he said, turning and thanking the waitress that had brought over a coffee cup for him and filled it without being asked.

"I mean, can you blame me? I'm meeting a total stranger and getting married within the next hour!" Caroline hissed under her breath across the table, anxiously glancing around to see if anyone had heard.

"Care, will you calm down? Just think of this as a business arrangement. He's a nice guy, I've known him for the past two and a half years, and he's like a brother to me. I wouldn't be introducing you, let alone letting you marry him, if he was a serial killer or something…"

"Yeah, well, here's hoping." Caroline rolled her eyes and mockingly clinked her coffee cup to Stefan's. Just as she lifted hers to her lips and took another sip, Stefan's eyes widened and his eyebrows raised in acknowledgement to someone he saw in the distance out the window.

"Oh hey, there he is!" Stefan said, waving casually in the direction of a mess of people that Caroline could barely distinguish one from the next. She scanned the crowd trying to find the man Stefan was waving to, but it didn't help that no one was responding to Stefan's waving. Since she didn't even know who to look for, she decided to look down at her hands and focus on her breathing since she started to feel her stomach doing flips like a flapjack.

"You're going to be fine, Caroline." Stefan said, looking over and seeing his friend clinging to her cup with the jaws of life. "Just breathe." Caroline took a deep breath through her nose and then let it out slowly, feeling Stefan's hand supportively rubbing hers.

There was a light knock on the glass and Stefan and Caroline's heads snapped to the figure in the window that was trying to get their attention. Caroline's breath caught as she gazed up at a handsome man with dirty blonde curls, piercing blue-green eyes on Stefan and 5 o'clock shadow surrounding a set of full, kissable lips, which were turned up in a smirk. But once their eyes met, his smirk disappeared and he openly gaped, and Caroline felt her heart drop into her stomach and she felt her face gradually get redder as his expression changed.

"_Oh god_," she thought to herself unhappily, "_He hates me, this is never going to work! Why is he staring at me?! Wait, have I seen him somewhere before?_"

* * *

"Shit!" Klaus muttered as he glanced at his cell phone and saw the time, jogging down the train steps. He pulled his pea coat tighter around his body, cursing himself for not grabbing a scarf before he left his refrigerator box of an apartment. He hated that stupid tuna can, but it was either that or crash on his brother's couch while he looked for a new apartment. Somehow, he didn't think Elijah would much appreciate a Klaus shape permanently pressed into his couch; and he and Katherine weren't done with the renovations to their house in Jersey, so it'd be a while until they had a spare bedroom for him to use.

He walked down the street, a little more speed in his step, knowing he was going to be a few minutes late even if he rushed there. He felt a little bad knowing that he was making Stefan and this girl, what's-her-name, he'd be marrying, wait; however, the fact that it had to come to this—marrying a complete stranger—slowed him down a little.

And besides, he figured that they'd have to wait once they were at City Hall anyway. If they were just going to just go, get it done, then never see each other again, what was the point of idle chitchat over croissants that paled in comparison to the real deal? But Stefan had insisted, and he had been the only one to come up with a solution to this immigration issue, so Klaus couldn't say no.

He crossed the street and Paris Cafe came into view. Of course Stefan would have them meet up in a Parisian-style cafe; what was that, his idea of irony? Maybe if they met in an artificial romantic setting that would change something? Stefan was such a moron sometimes. From what Klaus understood, this girl was not looking for a boyfriend, much less a fake marriage, but she was going to inherit something or buy something with her newly obtained marriage status or something like that; he neither remembered nor cared. Once they each had a certificate, they'd go their separate ways and that would be that. He crossed the street as quickly as possible, dodging a taxi and car here and there and approached the window where he had seen Stefan waving at him from a table.

He was sitting with a blonde, and her face was turned away, her hair covering her face, but he still smirked. Typically brunettes caught his eye, but this blonde's hair was styled in hot iron curls (he knew from years growing up with a younger sister that hogged the bathroom) and he could make out a lovely figure underneath her outfit. She was wearing a coral colored long sleeve lace dress that ended mid-thigh and her deliciously long legs were encased in skin colored lace tights, swirling flowery patterns down her lovely stems. A pop of contrasting color in her outfit was her light teal pumps, which he appreciated the usage of complimentary colors as an artist, and he knew right away she was a knockout. Suddenly much more excited at the prospects, he wanted to see the face of his future wife and knocked on the glass to get her and Stefan's attention. He looked over at his friend and smirked, thinking, "_You dog, I owe you even more now, digging up this girl._" before finally looking over at his bride-to-be. He finally turned to look in her face and he could feel his jaw go slack. He'd seen her before. "_Wait. Isn't she that girl that...?_"

* * *

"I can't believe you invited your ex to the party when you're dating his brother, Elena! You've got some major cajones on you, girlfriend." Caroline said as she took a sip of punch from her Solo cup.

"I can't help it, Stefan will always be a part of my life and Damon's." Elena explained, refilling her Solo cup with the ladle in the punch bowl, a slight hint of guilt in her voice. "Besides, I heard he's bringing a really cute friend with him... with an accent." Elena waggled her eyebrows to enhance the last part of her statement and Caroline rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Oh come on, I know accents are like beer goggles for you." Elena insisted.

"Accents are like beer goggles for all women, doesn't mean we're doing the horizontal mambo..." Caroline stated, sipping her punch, and when Elena snorted she elbowed her friend. "I'll have you know I'm not girly little Caroline anymore. I am a responsible, mature adult now, that can take care of herself. I'm a grad student and a shoe-in for an internship with The Today Show, so you're not going to find me passed out in your bathtub with some random nameless guy that doesn't remember me either."

"I'll drink to that!" Elena laughed, clinking her Solo cup with Caroline's and both girls drank from their cups. Elena winced when she finished her sip and Caroline's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just excuse me for a second, I have to go murder my boyfriend." she muttered, giving Caroline an apologetic look before she made her way across the crowded apartment to find the man in question. Caroline faintly heard over the roar of the crowd Elena yelling, "Damon, I TOLD you NOT to add more booze to the punch! If anyone pukes on my rug, you're cleaning it up!"

Caroline shook her head in the direction her friend had just walked and turned back to the table. She looked warily at the punch bowl and decided she'd like a little more mixer and a little less booze. She'd have to leave in the next hour or so anyway. She had to be up early for a meeting with her advisor to talk shop about getting her ducks in a row for NBC. She wove in and out of the crowds until she made her way to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and snorted at the contents of the fridge. Any edible food was obviously purchased by Elena, because the only things in the fridge besides girly groceries from organic food stores were bottles of liquor. She reached in the back to get the bottle of mixer when she felt the door smacking her.

"Ow!" she yelped in surprised, yanking her torso out of the fridge just in time to watch the person who'd knocked into her with the door spill the contents of half his solo cup of punch on her shoes.

"OH. MY. GOD." Caroline all but screamed at him, not looking at him but down at her ruined shoes. "SERIOUSLY?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"Sorry, love. I think someone pushed me and..." a voice started to explain but Caroline angrily just threw the mixer down on the counter and stormed past him.

"Whatever." she muttered darkly, pushing past others and making her way to the main bathroom and opening the door, immediately wishing she had knocked.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed, her hand flying over her eyes, trying to block the sight of Elena, sitting on the sink counter, her legs wrapped around Damon's waist and her tongue down his throat.

"Caroline!" Elena turned in surprise, pushing her hands against Damon's chest and dropping her legs in an attempt to put space between them, but Damon stood firmly where he was, his hands on her waist and holding her in place.

"I so could've gone without seeing that." Caroline said in a tiny voice, her hand still slapped over her eyes, the shock causing her to forget how to move.

"I'm sorry, I was just... We were just..." Elena tried to apologize and explain simultaneously.

"No, no, don't mind me. I'll just go to your other bathroom to wash my eyeballs... I MEAN MY SHOES! MY SHOES!" Caroline called over her shoulder, waving dismissively with her free hand and stumbling backwards to go and make her way through the crowd to the private bathroom in Damon and Elena's bedroom.

She rushed to make her way there, dashed in and locked herself in. She sighed and took off her shoes to assess the damage. It was probably her own fault, she should've known better than to wear suede shoes to a party, but she just got them and wanted to show them off. She thought that a bunch of grad school aged people would've been a little more considerate and a little more _coordinated_, but she guessed that she was wrong. Stumbling in on Damon and Elena in the other bathroom had jolted her out of her ire, so she resigned herself to scrubbing her shoes with water and a washcloth dejectedly. She heard a knock at the door and groaned.

"Not available! Go tell the host to get her tongue out of Damon's throat and let you use the main bathroom!" she yelled at the closed door. There was a pause and Caroline thought that they had left, but then she suddenly heard a gentle voice on the other side.

"Caroline, it's me..." Caroline gasped her eyes as big as saucers.

"_DAMMIT! Nice going, Caroline! God why am I such a blabbermouth?!_" she thought to herself angrily, and she quickly leaned over and opened the door and saw her other best friend leaning against the door jam.

"STEFAN!" Caroline said, a mixture of relief and embarrassment in her face and tone. Stefan took one look at her and chuckled and all was forgiven.

"How's it going, kid?" he said, hugging her.

"Don't 'kid' me, _kid_." she chuckled, "I'm three months older than you."

"And you'll never let me forget it." he replied, releasing her and smiling. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just some asshole spilled punch all over my new Brian Atwoods," Caroline muttered, turning her attention back to her shoes and scrubbing them with the wet washcloth.

"Uh, yeah about that... I..." Stefan started to explain.

"Sorry about that, love." a familiar voice said, "If it's any consolation, your legs look ravishing in those shoes." Caroline snapped her head up to see a ruggedly handsome guy with blue-green eyes and five o'clock shadow smirking at her. That smirk made whatever compliment his apology contained, tainted with arrogance and misogyny. And of course he was Stefan's "really cute friend with an accent." Just perfect. He was an arrogant jerk she'd unwittingly insulted right in front of him. Just her luck. Caroline took one look at his expression and couldn't even hold back the scoff that flew out of her mouth or stop her eyes from rolling. She pushed past Stefan and the mystery man to walk into the bedroom.

"Yeah, well you owe me $473 dollars!" She muttered to Stefan's handsome mystery friend, making a point to not look at his face and she was glad she decided to wear her hair down because she was pretty sure it hid the redness of her cheeks.

"My apologies, your shoes were collateral damage, it was nothing personal... I'd be happy to replace..."

"Guess again!" Caroline cut him off angrily, crossing to sit down on the edge of the neatly made bed. "They are a discontinued style I got for a discount at a sample sale." She glanced up to look at Stefan and gave him an annoyed look. Stefan only smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Well... That was a great start... Caroline, I'd like to introduce my friend—"

"Charmed I'm sure..." Caroline muttered sarcastically, cutting him off and not looking up from her task at hand. Stefan made a face at her and cleared his throat.

"I'm, uh, going to go see if Lexi is here yet..." Stefan said, bowing out and leaving the room, in an obvious attempt to force them to talk and get to know each other. Caroline scoffed and shook her head at him as she watched him exit the room, then went back to futilely trying to salvage her shoes. She kept her eyes on her shoes, and she felt the bed move as the man came and sat down beside her. She scooted away, putting more space between them, and she heard him chuckle.

"Come on, don't be angry, love... We had just a little spat... I'm over it already."

"Oh, well I'm not..." Caroline replied, her voice mockingly matching his casual tone.

"Well how can I acquit myself?"

"Well," she began, "You can stop calling me 'love' since that's not my name, and you and your lame excuses and your cavalier attitude can leave me alone."

"Oh come on, Carrie..." he chuckled. Caroline turned and stared at him.

"It's Caroline." she deadpanned and Klaus chuckled again.

"Look it's nothing personal, I'm not trying to piss you off, lo-" his words halted as Caroline gave him another frightening glare, and he cleared his throat and continued, "Stefan has been trying to set us up for ages, and I'm only doing this because I'd never hear the end of it otherwise. And I said I am sorry for spilling the drink on your shoes. I hadn't even been here for five minutes when it happened."

Caroline silently looked up at him and realized he was telling the truth. She had had no idea he was Stefan's friend and now she felt really bad for bad mouthing him just moments ago.. to Stefan... and in front of him.

"Come on, take a chance, Cara..."

And then suddenly she didn't feel bad anymore.

"It's _CAROLINE_," she said angrily, her voice getting a little louder and her annoyance making her stand to put space in between them. "CA-RO-LINE. Not Carrie, not Cara, not Carolyn, _Caroline..._ You know like Caroline Kennedy, Caroline Rhea, Caroline B. Cooney. I mean sweet Jesus, the song is called, 'Sweet _Caroline_' isn't it?!" Caroline finished her rant and took a deep breath looking down at the man still sitting on the bed with his mouth open, gaping a little bit.

She grimaced a little, realizing she'd let her temper get the best of her and had flown off the handle. She had a shoe in each hand and was waving them around and in his face like a crazy person. If there was one thing Caroline was good at, it was sticking her foot in her mouth; with the way she'd been going tonight, she'd need to grow another foot to stick in there. She claimed to be "a responsible, mature adult," but maybe she hadn't quite outgrown rash, tempestuous Caroline yet. She was positively mortified and her face flushed as her previous actions sunk in.

"Is... Everything okay?" Stefan's voice came from the doorway, and she took the opportunity to dash off as it presented itself.

"I'm suddenly feeling really tired, I think I'm going to go home... Text me later, Stefan..." she said, turning to leave the bedroom, not bothering to say good-bye to Stefan's friend or even ask him his name, and huffed out. She thought she could hear the man chuckle behind her and it only made her speed up to grab her clutch from the hall closet and high tail it out of there.

"Caroline! Caroline!" she suddenly heard and whirled around and saw Elena running up to her.

"Hey, sorry, I think I'm going to go..." Caroline said, making sure she had one hand on the door.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier and I'm sorry about your shoes. Here, at least take these and wear them home." Elena said, reaching down in the coat closet and thrusting a pair of plain black flats into Caroline's hands, "I'll talk to Damon about replacing your shoes tomorrow."

"Thanks, but don't worry about it," Caroline said dismissively, opening the door and moving out into the hallway. "I'll call you later..."

"Uh, okay..." Elena said, "Have a good night!"

"Bye!" Caroline said quickly and shutting the door fast. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a migraine coming on, and she sadly took her shoes off and slipped on Elena's flats. She cursed whatever-his-name-was, Stefan's douchey accented friend, as she padded down the hallway to the elevator, wiggling her feet in the too small shoes.

* * *

Klaus chuckled as the pretty blonde huffed her way out of the room, obviously clinging to whatever shred of dignity she had left after unwittingly insulting him to Stefan and ranting in his face about her name like a lunatic. It was actually kind of adorable though, and he quite enjoyed her little outburst.

"Isn't she stunning?" he chuckled, half-sarcastically.

"Well she certainly looks good walking _away_ from you..." Stefan chuckled.

"Don't worry. I take that as a _challenge_." Klaus said, clapping a hand on Stefan's shoulder and was about to set off to follow the irritated blonde.

"I would give her some time to cool off." Stefan said, stopping him. "You don't understand... She's _really_ into her shoes. I mean, you might as well have kicked a puppy. And I'm guessing that she's also nursing a bruised ego." Klaus laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Then how about a drink, mate? I seem to have spilled half of mine on a pretty blonde girl's shoes." he chuckled and Stefan clapped an arm around his shoulders and steered them towards the kitchen. He knew where Damon hid the good stuff, and if he had Elena, he could at least have the good spirits.

* * *

Caroline's eyes flitted from the man in the window back to Stefan in a millisecond.

"Stefan, how do I know him?" she hissed through clenched teeth. Stefan looked back at her with an innocent but knowing look as Klaus turned to enter the cafe.

"I told you that you didn't know him, and you never actually knew his name, so I don't really know if that counts..."

"OH MY GOD, HE'S 'THE SHOE GUY!" Caroline groaned, putting her head down in her hands as the reality dawned on her. "_Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into?!_" she thought.

"Come on, Care, that was two years ago. You do this and you can get your apartment and you never have to see him again. Come on; pick your head up before he sees." Stefan muttered quickly to her, standing to greet his friend. Caroline took a deep breath and pulled her head up and put an obliging smile on her face. Stefan was the only one that had come up with a solution to this issue with the apartment she wanted, so Caroline couldn't say no.

"Klaus... no long time no see bro!" Stefan said, grasping Klaus's hand and going in for a hug.

"No, not in nearly two weeks, mate." Klaus replied, with a smile plastered on his face. Once he pulled Stefan in to clap his arms in a hug, he muttered, "Is that the girl that I..."

"Yes it is," Stefan muttered, cutting him off, "And she's your golden ticket, Charlie Bucket, so play nice." Klaus scowled. Stefan couldn't have found some other beautiful single girl desperate for a marriage of convenience for him to marry and get his green card?! No, apparently the only one was the one woman he'd managed to piss off even before she could claim it was due to his personality.

Klaus released his friend and put the show smile back on but shot his friend daggers with his eyes. He turned the smile to the blonde standing behind Stefan, shifting from one foot to the other, with an uncomfortable and awkward smile on her face. He took a little solace in knowing the feeling was mutual.

"Hello, nice to see you again, love." he said congenially, moving to shake her hand and politely lean in and touch his cheek to hers in greeting.

"It's Caroline, actually." Caroline corrected him, flinching away from his platonic kiss. She thought her rant would've made herself more memorable.

"Oh I remember... Caroline Kennedy, right? Or no, it was Caroline B. Cooney." Klaus said mockingly, tapping his finger against his chin. Caroline felt herself blush a few shades of red. Looks like her rant had been memorable. Stefan sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Caroline glanced at him and sighed. She'd try to wave a white flag, if only for Stefan.

"Well, thank you for doing this for me. It really means a lot."

"Anytime..." Klaus quickly answered, shedding his coat to take the seat next to Stefan's. "Maybe you getting your inheritance will get me off the hook for those shoes then, eh?" He winked at her and Caroline tried her hardest not to roll her eyes but she did it anyway.

"Yeah, well... it's not an _inheritance_, it's an _apartment_." she corrected. Klaus groaned inwardly at his mistake and Caroline cleared her throat, "And, uh, we'll see." Caroline said, trying her best to sound pleasant, but she couldn't help but take a jab right back. Screw white flags. "I just figured _you'd_ be the one thanking _me_, seeing is how I'll only be losing real estate, whereas you will be losing your _citizenship_."

"Ouch..." Klaus put a hand over his heart as if she'd struck him with an arrow, "...She's a feisty one..." he said to Stefan and turned back to her with that wicked smirk, "Stefan knows I like a challenge."

"Well I promise not to disappoint in that regard." Caroline said, physically forcing the smile to stay on her face. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he pissed her off and she knew a frown would fuel his fire. He simply gazed back at her though, careful not to let his gaze slip down past her face.. at least not while she was watching him.

"Okay, are you two done throwing punches? Come on, as I said, this is a business transaction, nothing more. Once your feet hit those courthouse steps, you never have to see each other again." Stefan assured them, his hands moving and emphasizing his words.

"Thank god..." Caroline muttered before abruptly standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the ladies' room." she turned quickly and made her way to the restroom and Klaus watched her go, enjoying the movement of her body underneath the short, form fitting dress.

"Nice going mate," he said, leaning back in his chair and turning to his friend, "You picked the only girl in all of New York that _doesn't_ want to marry me." Stefan scoffed and turned to look at him more squarely.

"Look you need to stop stoking the fire, Klaus." Stefan said seriously, "She's right... You need her more than she needs you. She can bite the bullet and sleep on an Aero Bed in friends' apartments until she gets her own, but you only have thirty days after you get your degree before you're shipped off."

Stefan watched his friend sigh and rub his eyes with his palms before burying both hands into his messy mop of dirty blonde curls. He knew he was right and Klaus had to face the facts and fast. Getting married any later might raise some eyebrows with immigration.

"And she really _is_ sticking her neck out more for you than you are for her..." Stefan added, picking up his coffee cup, "...She wouldn't agree to this without doing the research." Klaus looked up at him, eyebrows raised, and Stefan stared at him. "If she gets busted for doing this, she will get fined $250,000 and serve up to five years in a_federal prison_. You know, for committing a _felony_."

"Yes, yes... I get it, Stefan, thank you... Bloody Christ..." he rubbed his eyelids as Stefan sipped his coffee. He nodded at the waitress as she refilled Stefan's coffee and she quickly came back and filled one with coffee for him as well. Soon after, Caroline reemerged from the bathroom, looking calmer but more determined. She sat back down and both men could tell she was all business; pleasantries were over.

"Okay, so let's just get one thing straight," she started, staring Klaus down, "This may be a marriage, but it is not, I repeat, _NOT_ a relationship. Once I have that certificate, I am bidding you farewell and I am off to meet with the apartment's co-op exec board to be interviewed without you, seeing is how you're a very involved with something in some country far away from the continental United States." Caroline barely took a breath and finished her tirade, "Therefore, in exactly one year, I will see you again only to go and get the marriage annulled and we will both be free people: you with one legal citizenship and I with one glorious apartment on Central Park West and a job with The Today Show, got it?"

"Sounds good, lo—" Klaus smiled, but quickly corrected himself, "_Caroline_."

"Good," she nodded and sighed, "Now let's blow this popsicle stand and get this over with..."

* * *

Klaus took a long drag from his cigarette as he and Caroline waited on the Pearl Street courthouse steps, just five minutes away from Paris Cafe, for Stefan to finish signing and notarizing the final documents. Caroline shot him a look, looking disgustedly at this cigarette between his lips. But it wasn't just the smoking, it was all of him; yes, he was a very attractive person, but he obviously lacked the effort or desire to try to look decent judging from his appearance. He had a 5 o'clock shadow and wore a worn out and faded black Henley, stained with splatters of paint, as were his jeans. He had on scuffed and stained old brown shoes and a faded black pea coat that looked like it had battled with a fluffy white cat and lost.

It kind of tickled Caroline, the thought of a guy like Klaus owning a cat, especially a fluffy one. She didn't ask though, because once he caught her looking over his attire, he started hurriedly and angrily trying to wipe off all the hair and muttering to himself. But seriously, even though it was a fake marriage, didn't he have enough decency, or clean clothes, to wear something nice and respectable to the courthouse? Sure when she was sitting down the dress hiked a little high, but it was an inch and a half or so above her knee when she was standing. In any case, she'd attempted to look nice; couldn't he have at least _tried_?! And not only was he a slob, but he was a tardy slob. She had shown up early, Stefan was able to show up right on time, but Klaus had shown up late. If there was one thing Caroline couldn't stand more than slovenliness, it was tardiness.

Klaus glanced over at her but quickly looked away from her judging gaze, taking another drag of his cigarette. What was her deal? Not everyone cares about wearing designer stuff, and most have enough sense not to walk around New York with nice things that would probably either get dirty or stolen or both. He shook his head and took another drag, thinking, "_What is her problem? It's like she said, 'Once she has that certificate, she is bidding me farewell,' and that will be that! She doesn't have to look at me, or my paint stained clothes, or my cat hair covered coat again. Which reminds me, I have got to remember to kick that damn cat of Katherine's when I go back to Elijah's..._"

Luckily and happily for both of them, Stefan emerged, a big smile on his face and a piece of paper in each hand.

"That is for you, and this is for you." he said, handing each of them a sheet.

"Great!" Caroline smiled.

"Fantastic!" Klaus said, putting out his cigarette with a smile and taking his copy. They each gazed at their certificates and glanced at Stefan.

"So is that it? Is that all we need to do?" Caroline pressed Stefan, who shook his head with a smile.

"That's it. I now pronounce you man and wife!" They both looked at him irritatedly.

"Sorry," he said, blushing, "I've been waiting all morning to say that." Caroline just rolled her eyes with a smile and looked back down at the document in her hands.

* * *

_COUNTY OF MANHATTAN_

_STATE OF NEW YORK_

_**OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK**_

_**CAROLINE DRIES**_

_CERTIFICATION OF MARRIAGE_

_LICENSE NUMBER: __**3113141-5**_

_BETWEEN:_

_GROOM'S NAME: __**KLAUS C. MIKAELSON**_

_AGE: __**26**_

_AND_

_BRIDE'S NAME: __**CAROLINE G. FORBES**_

_AGE: __**23**_

_DATE OF MARRIAGE: __**FEBRUARY 25, 2012**_

_WERE UNITED IN MARRIAGE IN THE COUNTY OF MANHATTAN AND STATE OF NEW YORK_

_IN A_

_**CIVIL MARRIAGE CEREMONY**_

_BY_

_NAME: __**THE HONORABLE REBECCA SONNENSHINE**_

_TITLE: __**DISTRICT JUDGE**_

_WITNESSED BY:_

_WITNESS(ES) NAME (S): __**STEFAN P. SALVATORE**_

_AT_

_PLACE OF MARRIAGE: __**NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK**_

_DATE RECORDED: __**FEBRUARY 25, 2012**_

_APPLICATION DATE: __**FEBRUARY 10, 2012**_

**_Caroline Dries_**

**CAROLINE DRIES  
**COUNTY CLERK

* * *

Caroline smiled to herself and looked up to see Klaus gazing at her warmly and smiling too. She got caught up in the warmth in his eyes for a moment before she snapped herself out of it and cleared her throat. "_Focus, Caroline, focus! Now is not the time to get sentimental._"

"Uh, well... Thanks." Klaus started, but he closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself and looked back at Caroline both seriously and sincerely, "Thank you so much, Caroline Forbes. You have helped me tremendously and I can never thank you enough. I wish you the best of luck with The Today Show."

Caroline smiled and looked at the hand he extended to her and saw not only the gesture, but the white flag and gladly took it.

"You're welcome. And thank you, I also couldn't have obtained what I needed without your help. Good luck with your artwork and your Master's."

Klaus looked at her confused for a moment; he didn't remember mentioning any of that to her at the Cafe, and when Caroline saw his expression she laughed. Klaus smiled at the bright and enjoyable sound.

"Unlike some people," she raised her eyebrows at him, "I listen to what Stefan tells me."

"Oh..." Klaus realized what she was saying, glanced at Stefan who bore a smug expression, and couldn't help but laugh along with Caroline. Her laughter was contagious and he grinned from ear to ear. "Well we'll always have Paris, love."

"What?" Caroline didn't bother to point out how he called her 'love,' because he totally threw her for a loop.

"You know... _Paris_? The cafe that..."

"That we were just in! Right right..." she added, finally understanding what he meant. He simply smiled at her again with that warm smile that made his eyes crinkle and his dimples show, and she couldn't help but smile her own dimpled smile.

"Well, I've got to go meet with the co-op board.." Caroline said, dropping Klaus's hand, lingering to step back and look at them both. "I'll see you later, Stefan?" he nodded and she turned to her new husband, "And I'll see you in a year?" Klaus nodded with a small smile.

"Okay then, good-bye." Caroline glanced at both, giving Klaus a grateful smile before turning and walking down the courthouse steps, her hand raised to hail a cab. Klaus and Stefan watched her go and Stefan took a step towards the silent groom.

"There goes your wife." Stefan said without a hint of irony.

"Yes..." Klaus said, his voice distant as he watched the stylish blonde tuck her long legs into the cab and close the door, cutting off his view of her for a year at least. "There she goes..." He murmured as he watched the cab slowly drive away then turn a corner and disappear. "Although I do recall you saying that she looks good walking away from me…" Stefan watched him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on. What kind of best man would I be if I didn't buy the groom a drink on his wedding day?"

"It's 10:25 AM, Stefan..."

"Have you never heard of a Bloody Mary?!" Stefan said with mock horror, making Klaus laugh. "Come on," he said, clapping an arm around Klaus's shoulder and yanking him down the steps. "I know a great bar around the corner. Besides we have double celebrating to do. You're not only a married man now, but you're a legal citizen!" Klaus grinned at his friend's declaration of this auspicious moment.

"And trust me," Stefan said with a smirk, "If there's one thing I know how to do as a Salvatore, it's how to get my drink on." Klaus finally lost it and burst out into sidesplitting laughter. Stefan joined him in laughter and Klaus put his arm around Stefan's shoulder as they turned the corner, on their way to buzzed alcohol bliss.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So I hope you all enjoyed this! I'm so excited to write this story, and although I may keep some of the over arching plot points from the movie, this will be a lot more original writing from me because there aren't as many parallels. A decent amount of this chapter was me coming up with new things... I also might incorporate a few things here and there from _The Proposal_ :) WHO KNOWS?! :D I'd love to hear from you all so please READ & REVIEW!

And many thanks to my tumblr bby and amazing beta, **C.C.** (_klaussaholic_ on tumblr) who rocks my socks with her great editing and notes that always make me smile…

And to my tumblr big sister, **Katie** (_hybridlovelies_), for reading over this chapter and letting me know what she thought of the plot and writing and making sure I made everything clear and concise!

And to all my tumblr friends who've been so sweet and supportive: **Kady Lou** (_klausykins_), **Miranda** (_livingdeadblondegirl_), **Alex** (_klarolineepiclove_), **Erica**(_moonandstarscollide_), **Emma** (_klarolinesgenuinebeauty_) and **Rosemarie** (_bigbadklaroline_)… You guys really made me feel better. Your words of support really did make me cry and love each and everyone of you so much!

**If you aren't already, you should be following them on here and/or tumblr!**

**xo ****_a-little-blonde-distraction_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Green Card  
**_(Inspired by the Peter Weir film)

_Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off then they thought when INS comes knocking.  
_

* * *

**Author's Note: **So I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I'm so excited for this story... I'm in classes now, so I'll probably be writing on the weekend! I swear I won't drop this story, I like it too much to drop it! So without further ado...

* * *

_Chapter Two_

Caroline tried her best not to fidget and found herself playing with the new gold band that encircled her left ring finger. She had been relieved when she learned that the co-op exec board of White Oakwasn't a boardroom full of people, but just three, little old people: Ms. Julie Plec, a short, fat little old lady that occasionally peered over top of Caroline's paperwork at her; Mr. Kevin Williamson, a taller man with a gentle face that constantly smiled a warm, sincere smile at Caroline; and Mr. James L. Thompson III, as he introduced himself, which Caroline had to keep herself from laughing at his puffed up pride—she had never had someone introduce themselves to her with their middle initial and their roman numeral and he sounded like he was performing an infomercial for his law office when he did it.

She felt better knowing it was just the three of them, not a huge roomful of people as she'd originally expected, but now her paranoia was starting to set in. She couldn't help it! Although Mr. Williamson seemed to be pleased, looking over her paperwork and smiling at her, Ms. Plec continued to peer suspiciously at her and Mr. Thompson III glanced over her paperwork, not looking very impressed. He finally was the first to speak after they had all looked over the official paperwork, marriage certificate, and the questionnaire she had filled out.

"Paris?" he asked simply. Caroline gazed at him for a moment trying to figure out what the question was in that one word, and she remembered that she'd put "_Paris" _as the answer on the questionnaire to the question, "_Where did you and your significant other meet?_"

"Yes... Paris..." she finally answered, "That's where we met." Well it wasn't a lie. It was _Paris _Cafe where they'd met. Technically they'd met before that, but Caroline didn't want to go into details by saying they _first _met at a party, which hardly sounded respectable. Besides, she was as determined to forget that first meeting as ever.

"Is that where he is now?" Mr. Williamson asked kindly, his smile crinkling his eyes.

"Yes, that's where he is… again. I wish he were here with me. But he's not." She added quickly, trying to be reassuring. Ms. Plec glared at her with a wary eye and Caroline cleared her throat and tried to cover herself. "I mean, he trusted me to find an apartment for us, and I love that he trusts me like that. You know, handling real estate and all that. And I think this apartment will be perfect for _us_." Caroline made the conscious effort to us plural pronouns, realizing that's what married people do. She was still thinking like a single girl though, so it'd take some time to get better practiced at it.

She quickly added, "But you know, he just travels an awful lot so he's in and out, mostly out. But when he's in, he's the quiet type!" she added, smiling at Ms. Plec with that last comment. She looked like the type of neighbor who'd stand on a chair and bang on the ceiling with a broom handle telling 'those crazy kids to stop making such a racket' or something. However, Caroline had been informed that Ms. Plec lived on the same floor as this apartment, so it'd be more like, knocking on the door late at night. It wouldn't hurt to butter her up a little now. "We both are, quiet types that is."

"What is he doing in Paris?" Mr. Thompson asked.

"He's an artist!" she answered quickly. Okay, that wasn't a lie either. Caroline was starting to feel much better about this. Who said she'd totally have to deceive them. A few lies mixed in with the truth wasn't so bad... Was it? "He's studying French artists: Monet... Degas... Manet... Seurat..." Caroline mentally patted herself on the back for pulling those names out of left field and the deep recesses of her brain from the solitary art class she'd taken as an undergraduate. Mr. Williamson nodded with a smile at hearing this, but Ms. Plec and Mr. Thompson were still discerning her with their gazes. Ms. Plec suddenly interjected, cutting Caroline off.

"Does he paint? Is he one of those artist types who paints to music? We couldn't have someone who stays up all night, making a mess and making a lot of noise." she snapped. Caroline gulped and thought for a moment. Apparently, Ms. Plec didn't think Klaus was the serene kind of artist, gazing at a landscape before putting his paintbrush to the canvas; she seemed to think he was some crazy artist, dropping paint cans from ladders while listening to heavy metal. Caroline had obviously no idea what kind of art Klaus did, but it didn't really matter; he'd never be doing it in _her_ apartment.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no…" she added quickly, "He got that craziness out of his system in his undergraduate years in… England." Caroline cursed herself for forgetting the name of the college Klaus went to in England. She'd have to email Stefan and ask him to send her some facts again, but she recovered quickly.

"He's more of an academic now; he's working on his Master's from Hunter College." The two men exchanged glances, both looking impressed with this bit of information, and Caroline smiled. If she could at least get two out of three, she'd be set. And it seemed like Mr. Thompson III was the one to try and flip; give up on Ms. Plec already, Caroline could tell she'd never be pleased with the prospect of having "The Mikaelsons" move into White Oak.

"But he himself is not French?" Mr. Thompson III clarified. He was trying to hide it, but he obviously didn't have a very high opinion of French people. Caroline laughed to shrug off his question.

"No, no, he's English." she said, winking at the man and he nodded, forming a smile on his face.

"What does 'Entry Level Mass Communications & Production Internship' mean?" Ms. Plec interjected again, pointing at the part of the application that had asked where Caroline was employed.

"Mrs. Mikaelson, in addition to being a Master's student at Columbia studying journalism, has an internship at NBC, learning the ropes of The Today Show. Isn't that right?" Mr. Williamson jumped in to explain it to Mrs. Plec. Caroline was thrown for a second, it was the first time someone had addressed her that way: _Mrs. Mikaelson._ It was really weird. Once she'd shaken it off, she quickly smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it's just a fancy way of saying that I'm an intern for The Today Show. That's the title because every few weeks, my performance and aptitude will be reviewed and after half a year, in June of 2013, they will determine if they would like to hire me as a part time employee. You know, since I'll still have one more year of Grad School, but then I'll graduate with a job. And after one year of employment, I can be considered for advancement to a full time job, a raise, and more benefits." she finished her speech with a smile. She was so proud of her internship; it was what she had worked for her entire life.

Everyone, including her family, had thought that Caroline would end up working for some local news syndicate in Virginia, even with going to a prominent school like the University of Richmond for undergrad. She was determined to prove them all wrong and worked herself to the bone in undergrad to make sure she got into grad school in New York and when she was accepted, she immediately planned out with her advisor how to get her foot in the door at The Today Show. It was the perfect blend of serious journalism, providing the hard-hitting and important news, and the light-hearted presentation of general information, like how to cook a low calorie, lactose and glucose free breakfast. She knew she'd want to kill herself after working for 20/20 or 60 Minutes for too long, and The Today Show was the Mecca of morning shows.

"We've had problems before in the past where young single people come in and are up at odd hours of the night, making noise and bothering tenants. That's why the board feels that a young _married couple_ would be a good match for Apartment 407." Mr. Williamson added, explaining why Ms. Plec had asked and Caroline nodded understandingly.

"Yes, but it is highly irregular for the board to give this kind of approval without meeting Mr. Mikaelson first..." Mr. Thompson added, giving Mr. Williamson a knowing look. Caroline could tell that was the only thing that kept Mr. "The-III" on the fence; she knew she already had Mr. Williamson on her side, but Ms. Plec quickly inserted herself into the conversation.

"I like that other couple from Long Island. Not the one with the dog, the other one." she chimed in irritably. Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes at this old crone, who seemed most of the time like the lights were on but no one was home. She had been zoning off and gazing off during parts of the interview but then suddenly zeroing in with pointed questions during other parts. She took a deep breath and put her game face on. Caroline knew it was now or never, she had to fight or else they'd pass her over.

"Look, I'm very aware of the situation and it's just that... I... well… my husband _and I_, could bring the White Oak back into the market in a way that it hasn't been in a very long time. Yes, we are newlyweds, but think of the clientele you'll attract, being able to say that a _young_ couple, in their 20s, lives here. Think of what that could do for the building. I am in love with this apartment, as I'm sure Mr. Mikaelson will be, and just think of the young, responsible couples who will be knocking down your door to buy an apartment, um well, in the near future."

The two men exchanged glances again, and she knew she'd hooked them. They both knew what she was insinuating: the economy was hurting due to the recession, and so was real estate. But with the new surge in the number of students going to college, there would be more graduates then ever looking to buy apartments in the city. Also, the White Oak, at the moment, was mostly occupied with more elderly people like Ms. Plec, a widow in her mid-80s, unlike the younger Mr. Williamson and Mr. Thompson III, married men in their 50s. They knew Caroline was right: in the next couple of years, the White Oak would be losing a lot of their residents and it was better to start accepting younger couples who would be around much longer; even if that meant becoming a more family friendly building.

Caroline flashed her news anchor smile, and Mr. Williamson cleared his throat and returned it.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mikaelson, we'll be in touch with you shortly. We'd like to review your paperwork and the other applicants' paperwork and we will let you know, no later than 3 pm today."

"Perfect. Thank you so much for your time and consideration." she smiled, standing and shaking each of their hands before leaving. Caroline crossed the street and took a deep breath. It was out of her hands; she had done all she could do. She went as far as getting married to a total stranger to get this apartment. If she didn't get it, she'd lose her mind, she was sure of it. She felt her stomach growling and knew she couldn't skip food any longer. She looked down and carefully slid the gold band off her finger and let it fall with a tiny cling in the change purse portion of her wallet and quickly put her wallet back in her purse. It was a nice neighborhood, but you could never be too careful in New York City.

She turned the corner to grab a bagel sandwich at her favorite bagel place, which was how she found out about the White Oak in the first place. She got her favorite: an everything wheat bagel with egg whites, spinach, mushrooms and white cheddar, and took her coffee and grabbed a seat in the corner. She had a lot of down time before she had to go into work, she'd given herself a few hours just in case they'd gotten held up at the courthouse or the interview took longer.

Now she just had more time to wait and worry. That's what she did best: worrying. She sipped her coffee, nervously watching her cellphone that she'd laid on the table, waiting to hear them call. She hoped they'd call before she had to go into work at 2 to work on that education piece, and she sighed as the egg sandwich was brought to her and she took a bite. Suddenly, her phone lit up and rang and vibrated and she threw her sandwich down and attempted not to choke as she chewed her food quickly and swallowed.

"Hello, this is Caroline Forbes..."

"Hello, Mrs. Mikaelson?" Mr. Williamson's voice came from the other end and Caroline grimaced at her faux pas. It was second nature to her to answer her phone that way.

"Yes, hi, it's me. Sorry, force of habit. Many people only know me by my maiden name, Forbes..." Most people knew her by Forbes, actually everybody knew her by Forbes, but that was for her to know and for him to never find out.

"That's alright." Mr. Williamson's voice was as warm and friendly as he'd been during the interview. Caroline took a deep breath, grateful that it had been him on the other end, and not Mr. 'The-III' or worse: Ms. Plec. "I was just calling to let you know that the board has reviewed your paperwork and interview, and White Oak would love to accept you and Mr. Mikaelson as new tenants." Caroline silently celebrated, waving her hands in the air excitedly, and tried to keep her voice as level as possible.

"Thank you, sir, so much! You won't regret this, I promise! I-_We_ are delighted to have this opportunity to live in such a lovely apartment at this fantastic location, thank you so much! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy, I have to call my mom and dad!"

"And one other person, hm?" Caroline paused, her brow furrowing, until she realized.

"OH YES, AND MY HUSBAND, KLAUS! YES… Um, yes, I'll call him right away... I just... hope he's... not busy..." she tried to cover, smacking herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. "_Nice going there, Forbes._" She thought to herself.

"I'm sure he'll be happy to hear the good news. We'll need you to stop by at least by the end of the week to sign the lease and other paperwork and get your keys, and I just wanted to say congratulations." Mr. Williamson laughed, and Caroline hoped that he hadn't caught on, although it didn't sound as if he had.

"Yes, he will, and thank you so much, Mr. Williamson. Have a wonderful day!"

"You as well, Mrs. Mikaelson. Give my regards and congratulations to Mr. Mikaelson."

"I will. Thank you again" Caroline disconnected the call and quickly dialed the phone again, but she wasn't calling her parents. Her egg sandwich lay cold and forgotten on her plate; she was far too excited to eat at a moment like this. She tapped her foot as she listened to the dial tone, anxiously waiting for him to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Stefan?" she said, grinning from ear to ear, and she all but shrieked, "I GOT IT! I GOT THE APARTMENT!"

* * *

Klaus threw back the last of his Bloody Mary, grimacing as the last of the Tabasco sauce hit his taste buds.

"I know, that hot sauce gives it a good kick, right?" Stefan smirked seeing the look on Klaus's face.

"It gives it something..." Klaus muttered, tapping the bar, signaling the bartender for another.

"Come on, Klaus. Why aren't you happy?" Stefan asked, clapping his shoulder.

"I'm happy... I guess... Just thinking..."

"About what?" Klaus sighed at Stefan's persistent asking. He didn't know how to put what he was feeling into words for his friend.

"I don't know. I think I'm... not the marrying type..."

Stefan started to laugh, not realizing that the smile on Klaus's face was a wry one.

"I think it's a little late for that, my man." Stefan laughed. "But it's not the end of the world, brother! I bet a million guys would kill to be you right now."

"Oh really? Why is that?" Klaus asked, taking a sip of his next Blood Mary, glad that the bartender had understood his signal to add more vodka to it.

"Well you're a married man, reaping the benefits of it with your automatic citizenship, but your wife isn't _actually_ a ball in chain. I mean Caroline wants nothing to do with you!" Klaus's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the pretty blonde's name, "It's a win-win! You're both free to be with whomever you want! It's… It's actually quite brilliant, if I do say so myself."

"You did just say so yourself.." Klaus muttered, sipping his drink again. Luckily, Stefan's phone rang before he could continue his pep talk. With the way he was feeling, Klaus thanked whatever God not only got him a citizenship, but also shut up Stefan.

"Hello?" Stefan answered his phone, and Klaus could hear a loud voice on the other end of the phone shrieking.

"That's great Care!" Stefan shouted over the excited voice. He held the phone away for a second and said, "Caroline got her apartment."

"Hoo-ray..." Klaus said without enthusiasm, drinking his Bloody Mary.

"Klaus says, 'Congratulations.'" Stefan said quickly into his phone. He smirked and chuckled and turned back to Klaus. "She says that it's not nice to lie." Klaus scoffed and signaled the bartender for a shot of whiskey, which soon slid down the bar and Klaus threw it back in one gulp.

"Are you available to celebrate tonight?" Stefan asked. He paused for a moment listening, then replied. "Is that a problem?" Klaus glanced over curiously but turned back to his empty glass. A small smile played on Stefan's face then he finally said, "I mean if you have to work, I understand. Next drink's on me, okay? Alright. Bye, Caroline."

"What was that all about?" Klaus asked, trying to seem nonchalant and not too overeager to know what had made the conversation take that turn at the end.

"Nothing... Just coordinating to celebrate Caroline getting her new apartment tonight."

"Fantastic..." he muttered, going back to sip what was left of his other Bloody Mary.

"I asked if you could come, but she has to work." Klaus turned back to Stefan, a little surprise showing in his eyes.

"Was I invited?"

"Of course."

Klaus squinted his eyes and peered at Stefan.

"She wasn't going to invite me but you insisted, didn't you?"

There was a beat of awkward silence, and Stefan looked guiltier than a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Look, Klaus, I—"

"Ugh, Stefan, I don't understand what you're trying to do!" Klaus groaned, hanging his head with his forehead nearly touching the bar.

"Okay, I'm going to be honest with you, Klaus, because we're friends, and that's what friends do, they're honest with each other." Stefan said, his tone getting more serious, "You have been in a romantic rut, and you need to get out of it, buddy. If you two would stop trying to kill each other, I think you and her could be really good together."

Klaus chuckled, raising his head up slightly but still gazing down at the bar, "Yeah, because Caroline and I have so much in common."

"You have more in common than you think..." Stefan said with a certainty that made Klaus turn and look at his friend questioningly. Stefan glanced over and saw he had Klaus's attention and calmly took a sip of his drink. He placed it down on the bar and looked over at his best friend assuredly.

"Come on, if you run into her, just put yourself out there, put your best foot forward, and you'll see what I mean." Klaus ran a hand through his hair and sighed, and Stefan knew he had him, and reached into his wallet and threw some bills down on the bar and stood. "Seriously, take a chance, Klaus! You might be surprised." Klaus shook his head and laughed and stood with his friend.

"Alright, _friend_. If you insist." He clapped him on the shoulder and buried his hands in his pockets, following Stefan out. "We'll see if you're right..." The pair stepped outside the bar and looked in the direction he'd had to walk to get to his apartment.

"Don't worry, I will be." Stefan laughed and turned and walked in the opposite direction to hail a cab to go to his. "I'll text you if the plans change tonight!" Klaus sighed and shook his head at his friend's back with a smile. He turned, pulling up the collar of his coat up to shield him from the chilly breeze, buried his hands back into his pockets, and took long strides to make it back to his apartment.

* * *

Caroline sighed as she put her pen on her desk and leaned back against her spinning office chair, swiveling a bit back and forth. It had been such a busy past couple of days and she knew she deserved a break. Even though she had lied and blown off getting drinks after being approved by the White Oak co-op board, karma had come back and bitten her in the butt. She hadn't stopped working for five days straight.

"_That's what you get for blowing off the man who married you so you could get your apartment._" she scolded herself. She felt bad about it now, but at the time, she didn't really feel like having Klaus around to celebrate her triumphant but deceitful accomplishment. They had parted on good enough terms, but remembering his behavior at the party where they originally first met, Caroline had no doubt that Klaus would be the type to hold his favor over her head. She really had wanted to hang out with friends and get drinks but she knew Stefan would bring Klaus along.

"_Hello?"_

"_Stefan? I GOT IT! I GOT THE APARTMENT!" _

"_That's great Care!" Stefan shouted into the phone as Caroline, unable contain her excitement anymore, started squealing and shrieking. She heard him pull the phone away and say at normal volume, "Caroline got her apartment!" She could barely make out what the unenthused murmurer was saying, but Stefan quickly said into his phone, "Klaus says, 'Congratulations.'" She rolled her eyes. Of course he was still hanging out with Klaus._

"_You know it's not nice to lie, Stefan." she muttered, calming down instantly and taking a bite of her bagel. Damn Klaus for putting a damper on her celebration. Stefan chuckled and relayed her message to his no doubt sullen friend, then turned his attention back to their call._

"_Are you available to celebrate tonight?" Stefan asked. _

"_Yeah maybe if it's just a few people, like you, me, and..." she said chewing her food, but she paused and thought for a moment before asking, "Are you bringing Klaus with you?"_

"_Is that a problem?" Caroline sighed and put down her bagel sandwich. Of course he'd bring Klaus along; they were friends, weren't they? __**And**__ he __**was**__ the reason she was eligible to get the apartment in the first place. Damn Stefan and his logic. She shouldn't be rude and actively try to avoid him, but he'd no doubt make things awkward, hinting at their arrangement in front of her friends, whom she was determined to keep in the dark about her quickie marriage._

"_No, but I don't know... I'm just really busy, maybe we can all hang out after my work is done?"_

"_I mean if you have to work, I understand... Next drink's on me, okay?"_

"_Sounds good to me."_

"_Alright. Bye, Caroline."_

"_Bye, Stefan..." She hung up her phone, feeling bad about blowing off one of her best friends, just to avoid a guy. Maybe she hadn't changed that much from high school, like she thought. _

Now she was paying for it in spades. Karma really was a bitch, and Caroline would know about vengeful bitchiness.

"Knock knock." Caroline turned to see a handsome dark haired man with friendly brown eyes leaning into her cubicle.

"Hey Tyler." Caroline smiled at her co-worker. "What's up?"

"Not much, starving and ready to go get some grub. You down?"

"Sure! Let me just close some stuff up." she said, turning back to her computer, typing up a few things. She reorganized the papers that had been scattered across her desk while she worked, putting them neatly in a folder, then turned to join him. She caught his downward gaze, which must have been planted on her backside, and he hastily looked up, but she gave him a knowing smirk and quirked an eyebrow.

"That's a... ahem, very pretty skirt you have on, Caroline."

"Thank you..." she said, trying to keep herself from laughing. She and Tyler Lockwood started their internships together and had been flirting pretty much since the start. Tyler had just graduated from Cornell, and his father, a former mayor of New York, got him in with The Today Show. From what he'd told her, his father was disappointed it was only at an internship level, but Tyler had gotten on the Journalism bandwagon later than everyone else and hadn't put in the time and effort to intern during college like she was now. She didn't hold it against him; he was too cute and his body was far too rocking for her to hold it against him. She moved to put on her coat, and Tyler stepped forward quickly to take it out of her hands and hold it out for her to slip her arms in.

"Thanks." Caroline chucked at Tyler's eagerness. She couldn't deny the sexual chemistry she and Tyler had, but they were still casual about their relationship. Elena said she deserved more than being just a booty call, but Caroline shrugged her friend's concerns off. She didn't understand that she and Tyler had an arrangement. She was much too busy with her internship and school to have a steady boyfriend, but come on; a girl's got needs! No, she and Tyler were casual and got the job done and she was just fine with that.

It still didn't hurt that he'd treat her to meals, open doors for her, and treat her like a lady. She was fine with that too.

"Hayley and Chris are coming too, I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all..." Not much was more like it, but Caroline didn't want to be rude and back out of lunch now that she'd agreed to go. Hayley and Chris were nice, but she got the feeling that they only acknowledged her because of Tyler. They weren't overly friendly when he wasn't around, but they weren't mean to her either. Well at least Chris wasn't; Hayley was a whole other story.

She mentioned Hayley's behavior towards her to Tyler once, but he had brushed her off, saying that Hayley was just protective since they were best friends. While Tyler was at Cornell, she had been at Ithaca College and ran in the same circles of friends. She and Tyler were now working for Matt Lauer's assistants, and Caroline just worked with the general Today Show team. Even though Caroline thought she and Hayley would bond over having come from similar small towns and growing up without both parents, boy was she wrong. Most of the time, she felt like Hayley was practically marking Tyler as her territory, but since she wasn't the one having casual sex with him, Caroline ignored her.

"Where are we going?"

"To this new French restaurant that just opened, my mom told me about it." Of course, Mrs. Mayor Lockwood; why would she be so silly as to think Tyler could so much as pronounce the name without her help. It's not that she hated the Lockwoods. Caroline just felt like former Mayor Lockwood was a little sleazy, undressing her a little with his eyes, and Mrs. Lockwood looked at her as if she were an insect, a pest like she knew about her and Tyler's relationship, and she blamed her for her son not being in a serious relationship. But Tyler was a grown man who made his own decisions, so she tried not to let the unpleasant woman bother her.

"Sounds great!" Caroline said so brightly she laughed to herself that maybe she should've gone into acting instead of Journalism. "What's the name?"

"It's named _Triomphe_," Klaus said into his phone to his older brother. "I'm headed there now to start my first shift."

"I still don't know why you didn't just take the office job at my firm I offered you, Niklaus," Elijah said as he poured his 2-year-old son Daniel some apple juice into a sippy cup and put it in front of the boy.

"As nice as it would be to sit in a cushy chair all day long, forgive me dear brother, but I wouldn't last an hour working for you." Klaus smirked but he and Elijah both knew he was right.

"Suit yourself, Niklaus. But when you tire of slinging escargot and hearing horribly pronounced French, remember you don't have anyone to blame but yourself." the dark haired man leaned against the counter, watching his son fling Cheerios from his high chair onto the floor. Klaus groaned, hating that Elijah was right.

Few things got on his nerves more than confidently, horribly pronounced French. Their mother had insisted they all learn a second language at a very early age: Finn had taken German, Elijah (the overachiever) took Spanish and French, Kol and Rebekah had taken Italian, and he himself had taken to French like a fish to water. One of his first pet peeves upon coming to the US was hearing how American English bastardized other languages and butchered pronunciations.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Elijah. I'll talk to you later. Give Daniel my regards." Elijah leaned to the side and barely missed some Cheerios that went whizzing by him.

"He sends his love. Good-bye, brother..." he smirked, hanging up the phone and sighing, going to find the vacuum cleaner while his son continued his food fight with his imaginary friend. He loved all his children, but he loved them all the more once they aged out of their messy phases.

Klaus hung up and tucked the phone back in the black pants he'd bought for this job, along with a white tuxedo shirt and non-skid shoes. He figured if it didn't work out, he could use at least the pants and shoes for another restaurant job; which he was, as his father said, fated for the rest of his life. He pushed Mikael's negative words out of his mind, knowing all he needed was to get noticed and one good review and he could make it on his art. Even when he didn't believe in himself, Klaus believed in his artwork.

He walked down an alley to the back entrance and knocked on the door. After a moment, it swung open and a man wearing a tuxedo jacket, the maître d', emerged with a stern look on his face.

"You're late, Mikaelson..."

"My apologies." he answered nonchalantly.

"You have Section C. Adrian's been covering it for the past 45 minutes, so it's only fair that he keeps those tips."

"No argument from me." If this Adrian didn't turn out to be a raging asshole or a complete lunatic, Klaus would have to remember he could use him to cover for him again if he needed him.

"But we're quite busy right now, so you have to jump right in so Adrian doesn't have to handle your section and his…" the maître d' barked, his disapproval of Klaus dripped off of his words.

"I can manage..." Klaus muttered, swiping a black waist apron from the waiter's station and tying it around his waist while glancing at the seating chart to look over his section.

"We'll see!" the maître d' snapped and hurried back to the front, and Klaus smirked and looked around to find this Adrian bloke to take over his tables.

Caroline sighed and looked at her watch. They had been waiting at their table for almost 20 minutes and they had only managed to get their drinks from a frazzled looking waiter. Tyler caught a glimpse of her checking the time and immediately turned and stopped the nearest waiter.

"Excuse me, can you take our order?"

"I'm sorry sir, this isn't my section," the waiter said, continuing on his path to deliver some salads to his table. Soon the frazzled waiter who'd brought their drinks came running past and Tyler called to him.

"Hey! Can we order now please?" he semi-shouted at the man. Caroline winced and didn't know if she was more embarrassed of Tyler almost shouting in a nice restaurant or felt worse for the poor guy who looked positively exhausted.

"I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I'm not your waiter anymore, but he'll be here in just a moment, I promise." he said, trying to sound assured and apologetic before he rushed to another section to give them their drinks, his brow glistening.

"Well this is just perfect..." Hayley griped, and Caroline felt bad for the poor guy. She'd waitressed in undergrad, and from the looks of it they were seriously understaffed today. It wasn't the waiter's fault; he took his orders from the maître-d or the general manager, but try telling that to Hayley.

"I tell you, the owner is going to get a piece of my mind..." Tyler said, and Caroline patted his arm.

"Don't worry schnookums. We'll feed you before nap time." She said in a babying voice, teasingly. Chris laughed and Tyler shot him a dirty look while Hayley shot her one.

"Well... at least he thinks I'm funny." Caroline whispered as she took a sip from her water. She glanced around the restaurant, trying to find any waiters that seemed to be rushing in their direction. She nearly huffed an ice cube and spit out her water across the table and all over Hayley when she caught a glimpse of a familiar 5 o'clock shadow and dirty blonde hair.

"Caroline, are you okay?" Tyler asked, looking at her surprised.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Caroline gasped, clearing her throat and quickly putting her napkin on the table and motioning to them, "Come on, the service is horrible here. Let's blow this popsicle stand." Klaus heard the familiar phrase and familiar voice and his head snapped up to see Caroline, sitting with two men and another woman, hurriedly gathering her things at a table, in his section. Klaus grinned devilishly, tucking in his shirt and striding towards the table.

"But it's prime time lunch hour right now, we'd be lucky to get a hot dog from a street vendor." Tyler argued, not ready to give up the fight. Caroline glanced up and saw Klaus walking towards their table and squeaked, immediately dropping her things and grabbing her menu and holding it up to her face.

"You know you're probably right, let's just order quickly and get back to the office." she muttered quickly to Tyler. "_Please keep walking, please keep walking!"_ she chanted, praying in her head.

"Bonjour, how are you all doing today?" she suddenly heard from behind her menu. "_Oh great! Of course he's our waiter... Of COURSE he speaks French…_" Caroline thought, feeling her face get red. There was no way she could avoid him without making more of a scene in front of the others.

"Great, finally..." Tyler said, dramatically, "We'd like to order, we're in a bit of a time crunch, and we have to get back to Rockefeller Center."

"Oh... Where the NBC Studios are? Very nice..." Klaus said, playing stupid, but Caroline cursed the day he was born. Now he was just torturing her.

"Yes, we actually work for The Today Show." Chris said, amicably.

"Oh, you don't say? Wow. How lovely." Klaus said, glancing over at Caroline, who only raised her menu further to completely cover her head.

"Yep, it's freaking incredible," Hayley interrupted irritably, "So I'd like just like the salad, with baby lola rosa lettuce and concord grape dressing. If that's not too much trouble." She added, pointedly as she thrust her menu at him.

"Bien sûr, mademoiselle." he said with a mocking bow, and turned to Chris, "Et pour vous? For you, this afternoon, sir?"

"I'll take the 'sole me-meunier, did I say that right?" Klaus nodded even though he didn't. He wasn't off by much. "With the green beans and lemon braised fingerling potatoes."

"Très bien." Klaus murmured, jotting the order down on his pad and taking Chris's menu, then turned to Tyler, "Et pour sa Majesté, qu'est-ce que ce sera ? What can I get you, sir?" Caroline rolled her eyes behind her menu. Her high school French was a little rusty, but she still caught Klaus's dig at Tyler.

"I'm going to have the mussels praven kale." Tyler started.

"Provençale." Klaus repeated, correcting Tyler's pronunciation.

"Yeah..." Tyler gave Klaus a weird look, "With the chabb liss…"

"Chablis." Klaus repeated, looking down at Tyler as if he were helping an elementary schooler sound out the tough words.

"Right," Tyler snapped irritably, "With the lemon and gua-guan-" Klaus's corrections had worn down his confidence and he struggled to get out the last word. Caroline couldn't help but giggle, Tyler had sounded so pompous and arrogant earlier, and now he was being knocked down a peg.

"Guanciale toast." Klaus offered.

"Yeah, that!" Tyler said irritably, thrusting his menu at Klaus.

"Seulement le meilleur pour son altesse," Klaus muttered. He heard Caroline stifle her laugh and tried to hide his smirk while he jotted down Tyler's order.

"Et pour la belle demoiselle?" he said, turning to Caroline. Caroline grimaced, clenching her eyes together, knowing all eyes were on her. Tyler cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Caroline? You're up."

Caroline took a deep breath and slowly lowered her menu and glanced up at Klaus, seeing a warm, dimpled smile instead of a saucy smirk. It put her a little more at ease and as she gathered herself, Klaus took the opportunity to look her over. She looked lovely, with her hair gathered in an up-do with a few pieces framing her face. She was wearing a black top with gold studding on the chest with a cream colored cardigan, and he thought he could see green, cream and plaid skirt covering her lap. He surveyed her quickly so as not to be detected by the others, and raised his eyebrows waiting for her to respond.

"Um, I'll take, the um, une salade niçoise au thon et aux anchois..."

"Parfait," Klaus murmured, her beautiful pronunciation was music to his ears.

"And I'm sorry, but can I have that made without tomato?"

"You don't like tomatoes?"

"No, I'm allergic." she explained, and glanced around and saw the confused faces around her and she realized they were acting really familiarly so she quickly added, "...thank you, sir."

"Je ferais n'importe quoi pour ma femme," Klaus said, glancing up at her with a smirk and jotting her order down. Caroline understood what he meant and felt her cheeks turn bright red, and she suddenly felt extremely thirsty and quickly grabbed her glass of water.

"I will bring out your food in just a few minutes." he said, tucking his stubby pencil behind his ear, making sure he had all of their menus and turning to leave; but not without glancing at Caroline with a smirk first. He went and put the menus back at the hostess station and turned back to look at Caroline. She had her eyes cast down at her place setting, obviously trying to avoid his gaze; her face still flushed that lovely shade all the way from her cheekbones to her jaw.

He enjoyed watching her squirm, and he couldn't help but revel in her discomfort since it was of her own making. Who's to say if she'd introduced him to her table that he wouldn't have made fun of the man who currently had his hand placed lightly on Caroline's thigh?

Okay, he would've had fun at his expense anyway, considering that the only thing more brutal than his French was his ego. Seeing his body language towards Caroline made him grip his note pad until his knuckles turned white.

"So are you going to place the order? Or just stand there glowering at the customers?" the maître d' hissed, walking up behind Klaus and sifting through the dessert menus.

"No sir." Klaus muttered, ripping out Caroline's table's ticket and heading for the kitchen, thinking, "_No, I'll just spit on his mussels when you're not looking..._"

* * *

"Well that was delicious..." Caroline said, briskly stepping out on the curb. She couldn't get out of the restaurant fast enough. Correction: She couldn't get out of the restaurant _and_ _away from Klaus_ fast enough.

"My mussels were a little gooey..." Tyler complained, tucking his wallet back in his breast pocket. "And that waiter was such a dick head. I'm sending an email to the owner."

"Oh come on! It wasn't that bad." Caroline said quickly, fearing the karma if she somehow inadvertently got Klaus fired. She'd probably lose her internship and get kicked out of school for no reason knowing her luck.

"If you say so..." Tyler smirked, leaning in to give her a quick kiss that Caroline broke from quickly and glanced around. Hayley and Chris had gone to the bathroom and told them they'd meet them outside, but the last thing she wanted was for them to get caught. Relationships between co-workers and interns wasn't grounds to get fired, but it was highly frowned upon, and you had to go through a whole dog and pony show with human resources that Caroline wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Come on, Care, who's going to see us?" he said, his hands still on her waist.

"Uh, Chris? _Hayley_?" she said, stressing the woman's name more.

"Like they'd turn us in," he said, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek and pressing kisses to her jaw and neck.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Caroline said hesitantly, and then quickly put a foot of space in between them as she saw Hayley walking through the restaurant to meet them.

"Come on, come to my apartment tonight. We haven't been together in like a month, Care..." he whined.

"Shhh!" Caroline hissed at him, taking out her phone and pretending to text someone. Hayley walked down the steps and glanced back and forth between them.

"Hey... what's up?" she asked Tyler, casting a suspicious glance at Caroline.

"Nothing. Caroline's glued to her phone as always..."

"Shut up! I'm not always glued to my phone!" she scoffed, lightly punching him and Tyler smirked and soon Chris joined them. They turned to hail a cab back to the office and a pair of piercing blue-green eyes watched them from the restaurant window.

"You like her?"

Adrian's voice suddenly asked behind him, and Klaus turned to him.

"What?"

"I said, 'Do you like her?'" Adrian said, smirking at the blonde who was climbing into the passenger seat of the cab with her three co-workers.

"Why do you ask?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Just the way you looked at her. You looked like she was sparkling and had rainbows coming out of her ass." Adrian said with a laugh, and Klaus couldn't help but laugh.

"No," Klaus sighed, dramatically wistfully, "She's just some girl I married once."

"Yeah right, stalker..." Adrian sniggered as he tucked his note pad in his apron and turned to grab his drink in the back. Klaus smirked and turned back to watch the cab carry Caroline away from him yet again. He took his cell phone out of his pocket, thinking to text Stefan for Caroline's number, but his fingers paused. If she really wanted to be friendly with him, she would've introduced him to her friends when he came up to the table. Instead, she hid from him behind her menu; actually _hid from him._ Klaus wasn't stupid; he liked a challenge, but he wasn't about to walk into a brick wall repeatedly. If she was interested, she was going to have to make a move or do something to make the hunt worthwhile.

"Hey Adrian!" Klaus tucked his phone back in his pocket and followed Adrian to the back. "You want to grab a couple of pints after work?"

* * *

Caroline flopped down on her bed, exhausted from the week she had. She was happy the interns' coordinator had told them to take the weekend off since they were going to be going into a hump week with the Springtime holidays fast approaching. She was so excited to have time off, and she'd told Tyler her parents were coming in for the weekend so that she could have some time to herself and time for her friends that she didn't see all the time. She'd come back to her apartment and changed out of her stylish New Yorker clothes into a pair of comfy jeans and a Richmond hoodie, then plopped down to take a breather on her bed.

After a while, she pulled herself up and walked to the kitchen, pulling her hair up in a messy ponytail as she walked. Staying in and ordering take out to have a date with her TiVo sounded amazing, so she opened her fridge, cracked open a beer, then began to examine the menus tacked to the door with magnets. "_Hmmm... Chinese... or maybe Greek... or maybe Mexican? I can't remember the last time I had one of those yummy shrimp chimichangas with-_" she thought, sipping her beer absentmindedly, but her musings were interrupted by her intercom buzzing. Someone was buzzing her apartment from downstairs. "_Weird_..." she thought and crossed to the wall in the hallway where the intercom was, pressed the button and brought her mouth closer to the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Mikaelson?" a man's voice came from the speaker.

"Yes?" Caroline answered after hesitating.

"My name is Sebastian Coleman, I'm with the Investigation Department of the INS." the man said quickly, his words running together.

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"Immigration, ma'am. My partner and I are down in the lobby, and we were wondering if we might have a word with you… and your husband."

Caroline stood, frozen with her hand on the wall near the speaker, but she slowly moved and rested her forehead on the wall as the man spoke. Her heart sank into her stomach, and her limbs felt as heavy as lead. She glanced around nervously without a clue of what she should do or say. "_This is it, the jig is up... It's all over... I'm going to jail!_" she thought frantically.

"Shit..."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Bum bum BUM! And immigration comes a knockin' when the Klaus isn't dockin'! DRAMA! lol

So anyway, I've altered the dates on Klaus and Caroline's wedding certificate, and shifted the story up from Fall to Winter… I realized after rereading Chapter 1 over and over that it was unrealistic for INS to give them that much time from October until January to prepare for the interview… I also realized the hitch with Klaus's student visa being up after graduation meant that there'd be a lot of empty time after Klaus and Caroline are questioned by immigration, even if I delayed it and pushed it back a month or two (because I honestly believe if they're investigating Klaus they wouldn't wait longer than that to check in on his new nuptials).

And at the risk of it falling into the "Taking a Chance impracticability" of them falling for each other in 2 weeks, I'm changing it to be a month and change until their interview, then a short time after the interview… So I'm going to be accelerating some of the story of the movie, mixing in some elements from _The Proposal_ and making up a lot of new stuff. I'm really excited though; I've got all these ideas, and it's just a matter of me putting them into chapter form.

And I'm not exactly sure how Master's Programs work, especially with Studio/Visual Art programs, so I'm going to be kind of loose with the facts to fit this story. For the purposes of this story, I think Klaus gets his degree when his exhibition goes up, just like once Caroline writes her thesis, she's got hers...

And sorry if the French was a little off lol, I'm a Spanish minor, I know not a single iota of French, but you can just do what I did: plug the words into Google Translate. Sorry, I would've defined the words within the paragraph, but that would've taken away from the punch line in a way… So I recommend looking up the phrases Klaus uses (most of the things the others say are just dishes from the restaurant, which you can see on _Triomphe_'s menu when you look it up online—I was salivating reading the descriptions… LOL If you hadn't noticed in TAC, I love food and I love describing food in my fics…)

**THANKS A MILLION TO THE SWEETEST BETA EVER, C.C.! YOU CAN FOLLOW HER ON TUMBLR (KLAUSSAHOLIC)**

****And MERCI BEAUCOUP to my new friend from France, Nina (NinaPops) for messaging me and working out better translations for Klaus's French phrases! They're much better now and it's all thanks to her! ;D**

And thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! I'm going to try to update this as much as possible, but I've got a kind of heavy class load this last semester… But I'm not reading anything for funsies; if I ever get a spare second, I try writing!

So please, _**READ & REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! **_**:D**

**xo Becky**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Green Card**_

(Inspired by the Peter Weir film)

_Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off than they thought when INS comes knocking._

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! First off, I want to send you all a very grateful and big THANK YOU for everyone who's been adding follows and favorites for this story and my other story, _Taking a Chance_; you guys are so awesome and I smile when I go into my email and 97% of the new emails are Fanfiction notifications about follows, favorites and reviews.

And speaking of reviews, please keep those coming, even if it's just to drop a line! The only thing that could possibly get me higher than Klaroline scenes are reviews on my fic. True life.

Anyway, LET'S GET TO THE MAJOR DRAMA! IMMIGRATION IS HERE!

**Disclaimer: **_Please DO NOT dial the phone number I'm listing here: seriously, I just made it up using a New York area code and put down the numbers if you dialed in _N-I-K-L-A-U-S ;)

* * *

_**Chapter Three**_

"Your call is being forwarded to an automatic voice messaging system. Two one two, six four five, five two eight seven is not available. At the tone, please leave your message. When you are done, please hang up, or press one for more options." Caroline sighed exasperatedly as she listened to the beep of his voicemail.

"Klaus, it's Caroline, again! Call me back right away. I can only stall immigration for so long!" She went to hang up the phone, but suddenly brought it back to her ear. "And you really need to set up a voicemail message." She hung up her phone, probably hitting the end button a little harder than she needed to. She turned just to see Tyler exiting the restaurant and walking towards her.

"Did you reach your advisor?"

"What? Oh, no. I think his phone is still turned off..." Caroline replied. She felt horrible about all the lies she was telling lately, especially to those closest to her. She knew deep down though that this is what she wanted; a separation between her life and her arrangement with Klaus. The less any of her friends and family knew the better. She especially felt shitty for lying to Tyler, but she justified it to herself that they weren't really dating so it wasn't like she was lying to her boyfriend.

"I mean at this rate, this guy's being such a douche you should just ask from some other guy in the department for help, Care." Tyler said, glancing over to hail a cab.

"If only it were that easy..." Caroline muttered, but Tyler didn't even catch it, so she climbed in the cab after him, giving the cabbie her address without even thinking twice. She opened a new text, texted Klaus the same message she'd been sending him since INS showed up yesterday at her door and then immediately texted Stefan to tell him she still hadn't heard from him. Soon they were at her apartment and Caroline didn't even realize that Tyler was following her until she paused while looking at her phone and he walked right into her.

"Oof!" Caroline caught herself before she fell and Tyler's hands found her arms after she caught her balance.

"Sorry, my bad..." He said sheepishly. She turned to him and he kept his hands on her arms and he moved them up and down, caressing her arms and Caroline knew why he was following her.

"Let me come up?"

"Mmm, no." Caroline said, trying to sound reluctant and like she was having to make up her mind, when in reality, she'd already had made up her mind when she signed the lease that Tyler would never see her apartment so long as she was 'Mrs. Klaus Mikaelson.' It would raise too many eyebrows, and she didn't want Tyler finding out anything about the arrangement she had with Klaus.

"What is it? A girls' dorm? I haven't seen your new apartment yet. What's with all the secrecy?"

"What secrecy?" She replied, playing stupid and wondering how far it could take her. He smirked at her, seeming like he believed her dumb blonde act; and why shouldn't he? Caroline's had years to perfect it.

"Well for starters, most girls I've been involved with have tried to crowd me, but not you. You're more than happy to give me space when all I want to do is be closer to you..." He said, pulling on the lapels of her jacket to pull her in for a kiss. Just as their lips met however, the cabbie honked his horn and yelled obscenities at Tyler, demanding to know if he was still needed or not, and with the look Caroline was giving him, Tyler realized he did still need the cab.

"Okay... _Fine_..." Tyler sighed, sounding disappointed and Caroline just rolled her eyes at him and gave him a passionate kiss to make up for not bringing him upstairs and having her way with him. Lord knows she could use a release from the tension and stress she was feeling right about now, so she knew his pain.

"Bye..."

"Goodnight..." she pecked his lips again before turning and walking towards the building. She heard the car door close and the taxi take off and she pushed the doors to her building and walked inside.

"Evening, _Mrs. Mikaelson_." She was immediately greeted by the doorman.

"Good evening, John..." She said politely to the man who was standing in front of his large front desk. It was strange, he normally stood behind his desk; it seemed to give him a sense of power and authority, but he was also giving her a funny look for some reason. Immediately she worried that Tyler had followed her in anyway, but she turned and saw no one on the street through the doors. She did realize, however, that from where they were standing, they could see the spot where she'd said goodbye to Tyler clear as day.

"_Shit! I need to remember to have him drop me off further up!_" Caroline cursed herself and turned back to the man and kept walking towards the elevator.

"There's some mail for you here. It's mostly addressed to 'Ms. Forbes' though. I guess some people _still_ don't know you're married." John said handing her the mail and Caroline pursed her lips, not liking that the US Postal Service was so quick to just leave her mail with her nosy doorman. She glanced down and saw a wedding band on the man's left hand and realized: Of course, there was a _Mrs. Gilbert_ at home and that's why he was giving her shit for her mail saying Forbes.

"I still go by 'Forbes'..."

"Women's lib, huh?" He pressed and Caroline was not appreciating this interrogation from Mr. High-and-Mighty-Johnathan-Gilbert, who Elena swore up and down she was not related to and Caroline, after doing some research, had found out he had been in politics but left in disgrace when the scandal that he'd knocked up an intern came out. Maybe his wife was dumb enough to stick by him, but that didn't mean that Caroline should have to put up with his patriarchal, belligerent, misogynistic patronizing all while dealing with the stench of douchebag cologne that rolled off of him in his arrogance.

"Uh, yeah... Something like that..." She replied dismissively, turning her back and making a break for the elevator.

"Nothing from _Paris_ though..." His suggestive statement made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Oh..." Of course he was trying to find some shred of evidence that Klaus existed and they were actually a couple. Hell, for all she knew, he was being a spy for Mrs. Plec, who was always up her case when John wasn't.

"I already checked. I guess he's deep into his work right now, huh?"

"Yes. And besides, we text and email each other, you know, with the time difference and all." John nodded, but he squinted his eyes as if he were studying Caroline and trying to figure out if she were telling the truth or not. Since he was reading her, she decided to finally break away and turned away and walked to the elevator.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Mikaelson..."

"Goodnight, John..." she said curtly, not bothering to look back, and kept walking. She pushed the elevator button more times than she really needed to, but once she got in the elevator she relaxed a bit.

Then suddenly, Tyler's words ran through her mind:

"_You should just ask from some other guy in the department for help._"

That was it: she would go to Hunter College tomorrow after her thesis meeting with her advisor and ask around the Visual Arts department there. They had to know where Mr. Recluse was; and if they didn't, Tyler's unwittingly helpful advice gave her another idea of a place to look for her estranged faux husband.

* * *

"Please pick up! Please, pleaaaase pick up!" Caroline muttered as she listened to the dial tone on the other end of her phone. Suddenly it stopped, indicated the person she was calling had picked up, thankfully.

"Hello?"

"STEFAN!" She said excitedly, happy he'd picked up, but her tone immediately turned angry and worried, "Have you heard from him?! You haven't been answering my texts or calls!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I've been so busy; I was in the ER till nearly 4 A.M. last night."

"Yikes! I'm sorry." Caroline immediately replied.

"Eh, life of a med student." Stefan said nonchalantly, and Caroline could practically hear him shrug, "But I've been calling Klaus every chance I've had."

"And... anything?" she asked, expectantly.

"No. I'm sorry, Care. He must have his phone turned off right now..."

"'Right now'?! Stefan, he hasn't been answering our calls for the past two days! How does someone in this day and age turn their phone off for tw_o whole days?"_ she replied, her voice getting more and more frantic.

"He's an artist, and when he's inspired to create, he just cuts off all communication and locks himself in a studio at school and works..."

"Yeah well I went to his school yesterday and the art department says that they haven't seen him in days, so they were no help." She moaned. Someone bumped into Caroline as she walked down the street, nearly knocking her down and almost causing her to drop her phone, but they kept walking and she immediately turned and yelled without even hesitating.

"Hey, I'm walking here! Asshole, I'm wearing a yellow coat, how the fuck did you not see me?!" She shouted, not even fazing the people around her. She heard Stefan chuckling on the phone and she pressed the phone back to her ear and barked at him irritatedly. "What?!"

"Well you can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl..." he laughed.

"He nearly knocked me down!" She argued.

"It's New York! You're telling me this still surprises you after all these years?"

"Being a New Yorker is no excuse for being a dick." She muttered, continuing on her path.

"Sure, sure. Where are you anyway?"

"I'm almost at _Triomphe_, the restaurant where I last saw him."

"You saw him at _Triomphe_? When?"

"I don't know, almost a week ago with some co-workers, he was our waiter. Why? Didn't I tell you that?"

"No, and neither did he..." Stefan said pensively and Caroline snorted.

"Well that's probably because Tyler didn't tip him very well. He was more than happy to point out Tyler's poor French skills. But it was kind of funny, actually. And I'm almost certain Klaus spit in his mussels." she chuckled.

"Wait, you were with Tyler? You didn't say you were with Tyler..."

"I said I was with some co-workers…"

"Yeah, but you're not fuck buddies with all your co-workers. Or is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Fuck you, Salvatore," Caroline scoffed, "At least I'm getting some!"

"Touché." he conceded and Caroline smirked. "Anyway, I'll let you go check the restaurant, and if you don't find him let me know, I'll stop by his apartment on my way home from work tonight."

"Thanks, Stef, you're the best!"

"I try. Good luck!" Stefan said, the genuine concern in his voice giving her some solace.

"Thanks, talk to you later, bye!" Caroline said quickly, hanging up her phone as she made her way into the fancy restaurant. The maître-d' greeted her with his cookie-cutter, phony baloney smile and his faker than fake accent, the only one that could possibly be any worse than Tyler's.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle, is it a table for one, or..."

"No, thank you," Caroline politely cut him off and flashed him her Emmy worthy smile in an attempt to get the information she needed, "I'm actually here looking for one of your employees, Klaus Mikaelson. Is he working today?" The man's friendly face slid away and he stared at her sternly.

"No he is not."

"Oh, well, could you tell me the next time he will be working?"

"No."

Caroline took a deep breath and realized that she'd have to be a little less sweet and a little more severe with this guy to get anything out of him.

"Look, I'm not some psychopath, I just need to get in contact with him and—"

"No, I can't tell you the next time he will be working because he don't work here no more, toots." The man said, his Jersey accent becoming heavier as he spoke. "He was always late and he was rude and condescending to the customers. We don't go for that here."

"Well can you at least tell me where to find him?" Caroline asked a slight edge in her voice as she became more and more irritated.

"Klaus Mikaelson is trouble, it would be best for you to avoid him." The maître-d turned to leave but Caroline grabbed his arm out of desperation, and he paused, looking at her hand on his arm irritatedly.

"Please! I just need to speak to him, it's really _really_ important that I find him." She said, glad that her voice sounded more firm than frantic, but the maître-d only leaned in and gave her the same stoic look as before.

"You don't find Klaus; Klaus finds you." He said, gently removing his arm from her grasp.

"What?" Caroline asked, her brows furrowing. She had no idea what that meant; was she just supposed to sit around and wait for Klaus to be done having his creative recluse period? She didn't have time for that; INS would keep coming back, she'd only delayed them by saying that his flight back home was canceled unexpectedly so he'd decided to take a couple more days before returning.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patrons that need attending to." He said, nodding to her politely and turning to return to the kitchen.

Caroline sighed, putting her face in her hands, not sure what else to do. Maybe she could call or text Stefan to give her Klaus's address and she could go knock down his door. She straightened up and turned and exited the restaurant, not realizing she'd passed by the same frazzled waiter that had taken their drink orders before Klaus had shown up; and he'd been listening to her entire conversation with the maître-d.

She walked down the street, wrapping her scarf back around her neck to protect herself against the chill. She couldn't give up now, and she didn't know when she'd be able to look for him again with her next few days being filled with classes, thesis meetings and interning at The Today Show. Caroline had just paused at the curb and lifted her hand to flag down a taxi when she heard a voice calling out, "Hey! Miss? Excuse me!?"

She turned and saw a waiter from _Triomphe _running towards her. She wondered if he was looking for her, and looked around and saw no one else, but still pointed to herself and said, "Me?"

"Yes, you!" He said, slightly out of breath after running to chase her down, but he smiled and she suddenly remembered that he was the poor busy, frazzled waiter that had taken their drinks before Klaus had shown up.

"You came in the other day with those two other guys and a brunette, right? You know Klaus?"

"Yes. Why? Did he say he knew me? What did he tell you?" she asked, wondering what Klaus told people about their relationship

"Not much, pretty much just that he knew you." he started and Caroline nodded, glad that it seemed like even though Klaus had fun alluding to their marriage in French over her friends' heads, he was still respecting her privacy somewhat.

"But if you need to find him, I know where he is." Adrian said.

* * *

Klaus took a drag of his cigarette and inhaled deeply before slowly breathing out the smoke that caught in the gentle breeze suddenly passing him on the fire escape. He'd locked himself in his apartment for the past few days, suddenly seized by the impulse to create. His advisors already knew how he worked, many of them worked in similar fashions, so they didn't expect him to come to class or complete assignments.

Besides, he was beyond sitting in a classroom and scribbling pictures of fruit in bowls on paper; he was working on his Master's, which basically meant he had to present some out of this world exhibition at the beginning of April. It had to be a cohesive collection to showcase his talent and the guidance of his peers and mentors; and up until recently, Klaus had doubted that would become a reality.

For one, he had been so preoccupied with his work and family drama before then, he let his immigration paperwork fall by the wayside, which left him in the precarious position of either having to go back to the U.K. within 90 days of obtaining his degree or obtain citizenship. And considering he'd been applying for citizenship for quite a while and the traditional route was getting him nowhere fast, he'd agreed to Stefan's crazy scheme of a convenient marriage with—

Klaus stopped himself from thinking of her, of even thinking of her name, and took another drag of cigarette before letting his hand fall and his head hang back. It was then he realized that their run in at _Triomphe_ must have been what set off this insane period of reclusive artistic inspiration. Shortly after their run in, Klaus had `found himself sketching in a way he hadn't in many years.

He'd sent an email with a single sentence to his advisor not to expect him for a few days, and had gotten to work. He had painted and worked furiously until he came to a screeching halt, afraid he'd bore a hole in the canvas. It was a vivid mixture of light and dark textures and abstract figures and forms. He didn't realize how vigorously he'd been working until he heard his own heavy breathing and he decided to pause for a smoke break.

His apartment was a space he could control, and although he had become accustomed to working in the studios at Hunter College, ultimately it was not his domain where he could completely stop any interruptions or intrusions. But his apartment was his domain; and even if there was enough space to make a decent and livable set up, more often than not Klaus ended up sleeping on the pull out sofa in his small excuse for a living room and had turned the bedroom into a studio.

He'd painted and sketched and painted and created and made anything that he was inspired to and when he'd felt his stamina dropping slowly, he decided to have a quick smoke break to clear his head. He'd climbed out his window onto the fire escape just beyond it that stretched the length of his building, lit up, and settled back.

He leaned back onto his elbows on the steps behind him and took one last drag before tossing the butt to the ground and closing his eyes. He took deep breaths and relaxed, taking in the loud and noisy bustling of the city. He felt himself start to drift off to sleep, which wasn't out of the ordinary with how he worked. He could work for nearly 20 hours straight before crashing, sleeping for a short while, and then waking up and repeating the whole process. He'd started to lose momentum in his work the previous day, so he'd actually gotten around six hours of sleep, he believed; a new record for him.

Although the noises of the city, the sirens and car horns various other city happenings, and the music he had been playing at full blast for the past three days raged on, he fell deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. The sounds began to all blend together as he remembered her face in the restaurant and her light giggle from behind her menu; then suddenly a pounding on his door joined the cacophony of sounds and interrupted his reverie.

"Klaus? Klaus, can you hear me?" Caroline's voice came from behind his door, shouting in an attempt to not only be heard through the door but over top of the loud music he had left playing when he went outside. "Oh my god, if you're not in there, I don't know what I'm going to do!?" More knocking, "I've been trying to reach you, but you turned off your phone!" The knocking grew even louder. "I won't stop stalking you until you answer me! Klaus, open the door!" Furious and relentless knocking made Klaus climb back in through his window and listen to her talk through the door.

"...Fine. I'm slipping a note with my address under the door for you. Call me or text me as soon as possible."

Klaus had been silently listening, screening her visit at his door if you will, but he was afraid she'd be on her way out, so he quickly opened the door. He looked down to see Caroline stooping down to slip a piece of paper underneath the door. She hastily stood since he was now in the open doorway and sighed, giving him an exasperated look.

"Good, you're alive..." she deadpanned, almost wanting to just turn around and leave now that she had confirmed that fact.

"Caroline, you know I had hoped perhaps one day, in a year..." he paused a moment and added dramatically, "Or even in a _century_, you'd turn up at my door. How lucky I am I didn't have to wait long for you to come to me to show you what the world has to offer." he said, leaning against the doorframe, giving her a dimpled smirk.

"Uh huh, yeah, fascinating," Caroline scoffed, crossing her arms, "What do you have against modern technology? Playing the creative hermit and not answering calls, texts and emails is not very charming."

"Oh please, love, let me know of how I might remedy that perception. I've been told before I have quite a considerable amount of..." he waggled his eyebrows at her, "'charm'..." he said, before crossing to his coat and getting his phone out of the pocket and turning it on.

"Oh really? Funny..." Caroline retorted, giving him a you-must-be-joking glare and following him into his apartment, not bothering to ask, and closing the door behind them. Her eyebrows rose as she popped her hip in that sassy, judgy manner. "Because your amount of 'charm' seems to be lacking from where I stand."

"Would you like to stand a little closer then?" He smirked. She scoffed again and rolled her eyes as he turned his phone on. He didn't like having it on while he was working, even if on silent. He had a watch so he didn't need it to tell the time and if those who knew him best called him and it went straight to voicemail, they knew his phone was off and knew he was in the middle of working and wouldn't bother him. It was a simple method of communication and it worked well for him. Once his phone finally kick started, it blew up with numerous text messages and voicemail notifications.

"Well hello Caroline." he murmured as he scrolled through the copious amounts of text messages and calls, a few from Stefan but the majority from her.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." she sassed as she glanced around, taking in her surroundings and wishing she were somewhere else. Klaus's apartment was habitable, but barely so; it was messy and littered with trash and empty take out cartons and art supplies. There were dirty dishes in the sink of the small kitchen, implying that he did actually cook but also that he comfortably lived in these conditions and Caroline found herself actually resisting the urge to start cleaning. She swore up and down that she wasn't OCD, but this place was making her absolutely nuts. The only real surprise to her was that it didn't smell as much of cigarette smoke as she'd thought it would; he must not be allowed to smoke inside or something. Not like it mattered, there was a grossness that was permanently ingrained in this place.

"So did you chase your maid away in horror and chagrin, or do you just enjoy living in squalor?"

"So did you come here to clean my apartment or just to nag me incessantly?" he retorted.

"Isn't that what a wife does?" she asked, barely pinching the edge of a Chinese take-out container between her thumb and pointer finger to move it out of the way for her to sit on the couch. He smirked as he watched her daintily make a place for herself.

"I thought you were the one that said 'this is a marriage but not a relationship?"

"Huh, good to know even though you don't listen to Stefan, you at least listen to me." Caroline said thoughtfully.

"Hardly." Klaus said dismissively, crossing to a nearby desk and pouring himself some bourbon into a glass, which he turned and offered to Caroline first.

"No thanks, I'm not much of a day drinker..." Caroline said, her disapproving tone informing on her opinion.

"More for me..." Klaus shrugged, pouring more into the glass. "So are you going to give me the cheat sheet explanation of this frantic stalking, love? Or shall I go read the texts and listen to voicemails..."

"Okay, you want the cheat sheet version? How about you're a jackass, not to mention a dumbass, just asking the universe to fuck you over by not turning in naturalization paperwork then leaving your phone off after getting a quickie marriage when INS is coming after you."

"How did you know I didn't turn in my naturalization paperw—" Klaus started to retort but then paused. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me!" Caroline snapped, glancing through her organizer before taking out her phone and going through her recent calls. "And I've been stalling them but they're not giving up until they meet us, so are you available at 4 PM this Friday?"

"Yes, but-"

"Great!" Caroline said as she tapped one of the contacts and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello, Mr. Coleman, please..." She waited a moment before the man she called for answered, "Hello, Mr. Coleman, this is Caroline Mikaelson... I'm so sorry for not returning your calls; I've just had some trouble reaching my husband. You know, moody artists and all..." she shot Klaus an unhappy face which he just scoffed at with a smirk as he threw back more of his drink, but he didn't miss how she called herself _Caroline Mikaelson._ It sounded... _strange_; nice, but strange.

"But I've just spoken to him and he'll be back in the country by Friday. Mhmm... Mhmm, yes, so that 4 o'clock appointment should be fine. ...Great! So we will come to your office and-oh..." she paused for a moment listening to whatever he was telling her and nodded. Klaus smirked at her, thinking it was adorable that she was nodding into the phone even though the man couldn't see it. "Oh, alright, um, okay so we'll look forward to seeing you at our apartment on Friday. Okay, good bye." She hung up her phone and put her belongings back into her bag and stood.

"So?" Klaus asked expectantly.

"So," Caroline said, crossing to the door, "I'll see you at my apartment on Friday." She said it dismissively, as if he should've already known that from listening to the call. "Here's the address," she said, placing the paper she'd tried to slip under the door into his hand as she continued to the door, "And if you have trouble finding it, you have my number now. Don't worry, _I _never turn my phone off." she said haughtily.

"I inferred as much," he quipped, glancing at the paper before looking back at her, "But you wouldn't like to stay for a drink and have a nice chat, seeing as how we have this big important interview to prepare for, the interview that you've been chasing me down to schedule?" He smirked as Caroline froze her hand on the doorknob. She slowly turned to look at him and he held up his glass offering up his drink and she looked him up and down before looking around the apartment.

"Hmm, I'd rather die of thirst, but thanks." She said, her voice mockingly and sarcastically appreciative, and she turned and left, closing the door behind her. Klaus stood there for a moment watching the door she'd just left through before Stefan's words echoed through his head: _She certainly looks good walking __**away**__ from you._

"Damn," Klaus muttered to himself, throwing back the last of his drink and crossing to refill it.

"_I need another smoke,_" he thought, grabbing another cigarette and his lighter and heading for his fire escape.

* * *

Caroline paced in front of her fireplace, wringing her hands as she glanced up at the clock on the wall for the zillionth time. The face told her it was 3:56 PM and her patience, just like her confidence, was wearing thin. She had told Klaus the appointment was at 4, but she had assumed that he'd understand that meant he should show up early; apparently that wasn't an assumption Klaus was making. She took a deep breath and tapped her chest lightly, trying to calm down her heart that was pattering rapidly like a machine gun, and she suddenly heard the doorbell. She dashed to the door but then slowed as she was a few steps away.

What if it was the INS agents and they were here before Klaus? She had to come up with some sort of excuse for him walking in as if he hadn't been there all day. His advisor had called him to check in about his exhibition since he'd just gotten back. Yeah, that was a good story. Feeling better, she took a deep breath and a few steps toward the door.

* * *

Klaus tipped the cabbie and turned and looked up at the bright and beautiful stone building with "The White Oak" in silver letters across the entrance, intricate silver detailing spidering off of the lettering. It was a little gothic and romantic, but beautiful just the same. He knew now why Caroline wanted to live here, besides its amazing location in Central Park West. He couldn't help feeling a little jealous of her; if he lived here, it would be ridiculously easy for him to get to Hunter College unlike how it was for him to get there from his own apartment.

He took a deep breath and strode towards the doors and entered the massive building. Once he was in the lobby, he reached down in his pocket, retrieving the paper with Caroline's address on it and glancing at it before shoving it back in his pocket. His gaze found the elevators and immediately he crossed towards them.

"Excuse me. Excuse me! Hey!" a voice called and Klaus realized that it was directed at him. He turned in the direction the voice was coming from and he saw an older man in a uniform with the White Oak logo on his left breast pocket behind a desk staring him down.

"Where do you think you're going?" the man asked and Klaus was taken aback by his rudeness.

"To see Mrs. Mikaelson." Klaus replied curtly, all too happy to name drop and use Caroline's married name that she got from him.

"Oh really? And who are you?" the man replied just as curtly.

"_Mr. _Mikaelson." he said matter-of-factly, puffing out his chest a little and clasping his hands behind his back and tilting his head a little to the side, challenging the man to argue with him. The response Klaus got was not what he expected though.

"_Mr. Mikaelson_?" the older man asked incredulously before crossing to him quickly, "Oh, I'm sorry! I've never seen you before! Welcome back!" he grabbed Klaus's hand and shook it vigorously, "So sorry your return was delayed! How was your trip? Do you have any bags?" Klaus was taken aback by the man's completely bipolar switch and reacted a little warily but tried to be as polite as he could be.

"No, no, it's just me." He told the man who was walking with him towards the lifts for some reason.

"You know when I first saw you," the doorman began rambling, almost excitedly it seemed to Klaus, "I thought, 'This guy's got to be an international or something,' and I was right! It's great to see you're back! I hate to see young couples like you two separated like you've been. It's bad for the marriage. Call me old fashioned if you want, oh but that's what's wrong with this country, the family is going down the toilet! You see my wife? We've been married for 15 years, see? These are our kids..."

He had his wallet out and was showing Klaus their pictures, even though Klaus didn't remember asking to see them and he didn't remember the man asking him either.

"I call her twice a day, I don't go for that women's lib stuff, couples living in sin and all of that... Oh no sir!" The man babbled on and on as Klaus attempted to will the elevator to come faster. The doorman rambled on and on, telling Klaus that he hoped they had a wonderful day now that he was back and they could be together and if Klaus needed anything at all, to just let him know. Klaus couldn't help but smirk, knowing that this man's patriarchal and somewhat archaic views on marriage and gender roles favored him and gave him an ally, possibly someone he could utilize in the future should the moment call for his assistance.

* * *

Caroline slid the small piece of metal that covered the peephole on her door to the side and peered through it. Instead of seeing two suits, she saw disheveled dirty blonde curls and a dimpled grin peer back at her knowingly through the tiny lens. She released the breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding in and slid the security chain off of the door and twisted the lock and opened the door. She stared daggers at him, hoping he'd look embarrassed or apologize for being late, but no such dice. He just smirked arrogantly at her, unperturbed by her murderous gaze.

"So..." he said, his body language saying '_Okay I'm here, now what?'_

"You're late!" Caroline said angrily, moving a little to the side to give him room to walk in.

"My apologies." he said as he crossed the threshold, not sounding apologetic at all. Caroline rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind them. Neither of them saw the old pair of eyes, peering at them from down and across the hall through the crack of her door before she quickly closed and locked her door.

"You look beautiful." He added as he passed her, appreciating how stylish yet casual enough her outfit was with her purple floral dress, dark wash denim jacket and knee high brown boots.

"Thank you..." Caroline replied, taken a bit off guard by his compliment, and before she could stop herself replied, "You don't look so bad yourself..." He smirked annoyingly and she immediately regretting giving him the compliment, even if he did look nice and put together in his black dress pants, black boots and black t-shirt underneath an open dark green sweater, with his pea coat (sans cat hair) draped over his arm. The only glimpse of the disheveled, paint-splattered man on the courthouse steps was his scruff that still covered his jaw.

"Now these Immigration people are due here any minute," Caroline started as she followed him into the living room. Klaus silently surveyed the place, taking in everything. He was impressed, Caroline had really nice tastes. In an upscale apartment building like this, he guessed they had probably furnished the place, but there were a few pieces here and there not part of the rest of the set. It was only obvious to him because he'd spent too much time around Elijah while Katherine was redecorating their house, and he'd seen his sister-in-law mixing and matching different furniture pieces from different stores. Apparently Caroline had expected him to reply to her comment, because he heard her huff behind him.

"Look, I think we should talk about the situation don't you think? I mean, I spoke to my lawyer, and he said not to panic, that it's just routine..." She started to babble and he could hear the edge of nervousness in her voice. She was probably like his sister, she couldn't be left alone with her thoughts for too long, so he turned to her, figuring that giving her a task to do would probably distract her and calm her down.

"Do you have coffee?" he asked, craving a cup but he also figured that having Caroline make some to keep her busy would kill two birds with one stone.

"Coffee?" Caroline gazed at him confusedly, before the request actually permeated her brain. "Right! Coffee! We'll have coffee just like any other normal married couple!" She turned and hurried into the kitchen. He heard the sink start, she was no doubt filling an instant coffeemaker; ugh, she probably didn't even make it strong. She was opening and closing cabinets, and he heard the clink of porcelain and he decided to poke around and get a little acquainted with the space. Besides, he was curious about this unique, bossy, strong woman he'd married but didn't know anything about.

He started poking around the desk just off the kitchen in a room that led to a balcony patio and he leaned and glanced out the window and saw there was a ladder attached to one wall suggesting that one could climb up it and onto the roof to the side of Caroline's apartment. It was very interesting architecture and Klaus studied it for a moment before Caroline's voice came from the kitchen.

"So how is your collection going?" the light-hearted question made Klaus pause, confused that Caroline was making congenial chit chat and she asked another question, "Are you accomplishing a lot or do you have responsibilities at school?"

"No, I seldom go to the college any longer. I'm past all of that," Klaus said, walking up to the opposite wall between the entrance to the kitchen and the living room to study the framed picture Caroline had put there. It was a framed print of Van Gogh's "Imperial Crown fritillaries in a copper vase," and this was intriguing to Klaus for many different reasons.

For one, it was not a widely recognized Van Gogh, the most commonly displayed and most popular ones being his "Starry Night," "Cafe Terrace at Night," and "Sunflowers" to name a few; secondly, it was not the painting as it appears in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, the colors were much more saturated and bolder than the original, this portrait echoing more of an Andy Warhol pop style of art. It was a very interesting choice, and it intrigued Klaus that this woman who seemed to immerse herself in the world of order and business but would choose to decorate her home with a picture such as this.

"I tried working for the galleries at school, but they're run by another part of the visual arts department entirely. The museums people are a bunch of snobs; I'd rather be a waiter than work for people like that..." He said as he crossed away from the picture and studied the fish in her medium but decently sized fish tank. His brother had had fish growing up and Klaus recognized them since they were mostly variations of gold fish: shubunkins, orandas, lion heads, comets, fantails, veiltails.

Caroline's hand froze on the coffeemaker lid as she heard his reply. He had no idea that she knew about him getting fired and he was withholding that information from her.

"But you're not at the restaurant anymore."

"No, I quit..." He replied easily. "_Oh really?_" she thought to herself.

"They said you were fired.."

"Really? Funny..." he replied lightly, his voice sounding more distant and she closed the coffeemaker and forgot to hit start because she realized that his voice was sounding more distant because he was exploring the apartment, _her_ apartment. She left the kitchen and found him poking around the living room and soon he made his way over to the mantle above the fireplace and was actually picking up each picture frame to inspect the photos.

There was no reason for him to be doing that, to just be touching her things for no reason. She heard him chuckle and murmur and as she approached him, she could see over his shoulder that he was holding a picture of her from high school from when she was cheerleading captain, and she was midair in her cheerleading uniform, jumping in the air with a pompom in each hand. Hearing his chuckle and seeing him touching her things was just too much for Caroline to handle at this point; and the thought of him getting some sort of perverse pleasure from the knowledge that she was a cheerleader made her want to smash the frame over his head.

She snatched the frame out of his hand, making him turn around to face her with a slightly bewildered expression. But she didn't care, she was pissed and he was going to hear it whether he liked it or not.

"These people are due here any minute, and you show up minutes before them and you stroll around _my_ apartment touching _my_ things? Do you realize the position you've put me in?! _Do you_?!" She put the frame back down where it was supposed to be, maybe a little forcefully, and turned on her heel to retreat back into the kitchen.

"Well you can take the girl out of Misty Falls, but you can't take the Misty Falls out of the girl." She heard quietly behind her and she froze. Did he just say...? She turned back to him and stared at him incredulously and his face was guarded as if he expected her temper to explode like it had that night in Damon and Elena's apartment. Instead, she barely shook her head in disbelief and murmured.

"_Mystic_ Falls. I'm from _Mystic_ Falls, Virginia."

"Oh... Misty, Mystic..." Klaus said dismissively as if one were interchangeable with the other. Caroline shook her head again before closing her eyes and putting her hands on her face.

"Oh my god, this is going to be a disaster!" she groaned through her hands.

He didn't even know where she was born; hell, she didn't know where he was born. They didn't know a thing about each other and they were supposed to fool Immigration, who would be there any second. Then again, she couldn't put all the blame on Klaus, he had offered her a drink and asked her to stay to chat and get to know each other; she'd just been so frazzled after nearly three days of searching for him she was too mad at him to actually take him up on his offer.

She heard Klaus clear his throat and almost asked him to repeat what he said, she scarcely believed he'd said it.

"So... The coffee?"

Caroline let her hands slowly slide from her face, but they stayed in their frozen position in front of her and stared at him.

"'The coffee?" she repeated and Klaus simply shrugged as if to say, "_Obviously_."

"I'm about to go jail, you're going to get deported but '_What about the coffee?_'?!"

The buzzer rang and Caroline and Klaus glanced at each other and paused.

"Oh my god, they're here!" Caroline gasped, and Klaus turned and strode towards the intercom on the wall, Caroline close behind.

"Wait! Wait! I'll get it!" Caroline hissed but Klaus's finger was already pushing the intercom button and ducking his head to speak closer to the intercom.

"Yes?"

"Hello, may I speak to Mrs. Mikaelson, please?" a man's voice said.

"This is Mr. Mikaelson," Klaus answered quickly.

"Oh, hello, sir. This is Immigration."

"Fantastic, please come up." he said, releasing the button and turning back to Caroline. He thrust his coat in her arms and immediately started reaching down for his feet.

"What are you doing?!" Caroline asked incredulously, and before she knew it, he'd thrust his shoes in her arms as well and was standing in her apartment in his socked feet.

"Better go put my things in 'my closet,' then..." he said, using finger quotations when he said 'my closet.' Caroline realized what he was doing then and immediately went into preparation mode.

"Right! Right!" she said, as she turned and hurried towards her master bedroom. She flew into the room and opened her closet door without even looking and threw his things inside and slammed the door shut. As she rushed over to her purse, she saw the picture she had on her nightstand and paused before grabbing it and throwing it in her dresser drawer. It was a candid picture someone had taken at the first office Christmas party of her and Tyler talking by the Christmas tree, and even though they weren't in a relationship, Caroline was really fond of the picture so she had it developed.

But she didn't need INS being fond of it, so in the underwear drawer it went.

She scrambled and rummaged through her purse to retrieve her wallet where she knew she'd put her wedding band, and once she had it, she jammed it roughly on her finger in a hurry, tossed her wallet back in her purse on the ground and ran back to the living room, praying that Klaus hadn't already let INS in. But instead of seeing two INS agents, all she saw was a shoeless Klaus reclining on her couch with his feet up, reading the newspaper. Was he serious? What, was that his idea of looking casual?

She was about to yell at him when she looked and caught a glimpse of his left hand holding the newspaper and she saw a tiny gold band on his ring finger. She tried to brush her feelings of sentimentality aside, but this knowledge that Klaus had actually cared enough to go and get a wedding band made Caroline pause. She tried her best to dismiss it as his commitment to the charade and to convince INS, then she heard the doorbell ring twice, she crossed to him quickly and crouched down beside the couch.

"Okay, come on! We have to talk, for Christ's sakes!" she whispered hurriedly.

"Talk about what?" Klaus whispered back, lowering the newspaper a bit.

"Our story! How we met! They're going to ask us questions!" she added hurriedly.

"Oh, now you want to talk, now that INS is knocking down the door." he said, but when he didn't get an agitated look as he'd expected and instead got a panicked look, he softened a bit.

"Look, they just want to see us together, that's all. This happened to one of the guys at the restaurant; they see us, they they go, its simple." he said, trying to be reassuring. The doorbell rang a few more times and Klaus sat up a bit and called over Caroline's head towards the door, "Can you get that, love?" Caroline was impressed, he was smooth; had he done this before? He turned back to her, satisfied with his ruse.

"Just let me do the talking." he whispered.

"No! I'll do the talking! I know more about you than you know about me." Caroline whispered angrily back but her anger soon dissipated into franticness again. "I'll come up with something, I'll tell them I studied abroad in Paris for a semester while you were there and that's how we met, or something, I don't know, I-" Her frantic rambling was halted as Klaus put his newspaper down and gently held Caroline's face between both of his gentle, but calloused hands.

"Hey, come on. We're together in this, okay? Don't panic." he whispered soothingly, gently rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. Caroline didn't respond, she was frozen, gazing into his blue-green eyes. She noticed they were actually a little more blue grey, maybe they changed during the winter, but she liked the color just as much as she had when they were bright blue-green. His eyes were searching her blue ones as if trying to find all of the panic and absorb it all through his warm hands on her face, and it actually was quite comforting. '_We're together in this._' he'd said, and him saying that alone, had made her feel a little better.

The doorbell rang again, breaking the spell for a moment and Klaus called over her shoulder, "Sweetheart? The door?" without tearing his eyes away from hers. He gazed into her face for another moment before giving her a supportive close-lipped smile, and then said, "Now go." encouraging her to go and answer the door. Caroline hesitated for a moment but quickly went to do as he said. She tried to calm her racing heart as she went to answer the door, the feeling of his warm hands on her cheeks still lingering.

Klaus grabbed the newspaper and opened it again, deciding to face the opposite way towards the door this time, and hid behind it. He heard Caroline open the door and greet the INS agents and invite them inside.

"Well, isn't this quaint?" he heard a woman say, and was glad that both agents weren't men. They might have an easier time convincing a woman, and if they impressed at least one of the agents, they should be in the clear.

"Thank you..." Caroline murmured and their footsteps approached. He heard Caroline clear her throat.

"Klaus? Honey?" Klaus nearly snorted when he heard her hesitant term of endearment. He lowered the newspaper, trying to look as unbothered as possible. Caroline was shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"This is Ms. Haynes and Mr. Coleman from Immigration," she said, gesturing to the man and woman beside her. The woman was African-American with short black hair in a stylish haircut and the man was white and had a stern face and almost looked just like... Klaus shook the thought out of his head before he could start attaching negative thoughts and connotations to this man who held his fate in his hands.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you both," he said, shaking each of their hands then gesturing around the living room. "Please, please sit down.." Ms. Haynes sat in the nearest sitting armchair and Mr. Coleman pulled up a nearby chair. Klaus and Caroline took a seat side by side on the couch as each agent sat down with their briefcases on their laps (who still used briefcases nowadays?) and clicked them open in unison to get their paperwork, the synchronicity of the two suggesting they did this all the time.

They clicked their pens and Klaus looked down and saw Caroline wringing her hands nervously and fidgeting. Not wanting her to be nervous and not wanting the INS people to see, Klaus reached over and gently took her left hand in his right hand and laced their fingers together. As he gently pulled it towards him, he caught a glimpse of a tattoo faintly inked on the inside of her wrist. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it before and appreciated the irony that one of the few things that he and Caroline might have in common was tattoos.

Caroline glanced down as he had taken her hand in his, lacing their fingers, her brows furrowing, but she glanced up quickly and was glad that the INS agents were too busy looking through their paperwork to have seen her reaction. He was no doubt doing it to make them seem more together than just the two of them awkwardly sitting next to each other on the couch without embracing each other like a couple, and she was immediately glad he'd thought of that.

She thought that until he suddenly started rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb and she got goosebumps, the small but tender gesture reminding her of him holding her face and comforting her only moments ago. Klaus gave her hand a soft, supportive squeeze and watched as her freehand relaxed in her lap. He heard and saw her take a quiet but deep breath and release it.

"Now, Mr. Mikaelson..." Ms. Haynes started.

"Klaus, please."

"Yes, now you entered the country nearly four years ago, is that correct?" she continued.

"Yes, and I absolutely love it here."

"Of course, now..." Ms. Haynes started but Klaus started talking again.

"I looked into numerous art schools around the world, but secretly I hoped that I would be accepted into an American one, and I consider myself truly blessed to have been accepted into the art program at Hunter College."

Caroline threw him a sideways glance, hoping he would stop talking; but he didn't.

"And I really am so lucky, I mean what more could a man want? A top notch education, a beautiful wife," he said, looking at Caroline, who responded accordingly with a light chuckle and smile, "Beautiful apartment, plants..." He continued listing his 'many blessings' and when Ms. Haynes and Mr. Coleman glanced out to the patio where he was gesturing to the potted plants Caroline had, she took the opportunity to snake her free hand around his bicep to squeeze it as hard as she could. It was a little difficult through the sweater and his surprisingly big bicep, but she hoped he would get the message and stop laying on the cheese so thick. When the INS agents turned back to the couple, Caroline's hand on Klaus's arm was easily mistaken as a familiar and intimate gesture between a husband and wife.

"Yes, well, your F-1 Student VISA only allows you residency while you're a full-time student at the college, and it requires you to leave the U.S. 60 days after obtaining your degree, which per our records should be by April of this year..." Klaus nodded affirmatively but didn't say anything, so she continued. "But more recent events have overshadowed that; your marriage of course gives you automatic residency status." She was stating the obvious, but that was when her partner, the sterner Mr. Coleman jumped in.

"The Immigration Officer that was handling your case described in your file that you reported your marriage less than a month after he informed you that you had missed the deadlines for normal residency application," the man stated unemotionally and Caroline groaned inwardly. Of course it was that; Klaus was late everywhere, of course he was late in turning in paperwork, so naturally his lateness would be his downfall. She was just glad that it stated only as an observation rather than as a more rhetorical question, because Ms. Haynes continued with the questions on her paperwork.

"Now this is your place of residence?"

"Yes. I have an apartment on the Lower East Side, but I mostly use that as a studio. Or, if I've upset the misses." He said, throwing a cheeky smirk to Caroline, who laughed obligingly at his joke, and he wondered if he'd be able to make her laugh this much once INS agents weren't in the room.

"You moved here after the marriage, though?" Mr. Coleman asked to clarify.

"Yes." Klaus and Caroline said in unison and Caroline smiled. That was a good, unplanned moment. It was couple-ish but not forced sounding to her, so hopefully it had a similar effect on their guests.

"We spoke to the chairperson of the building, and he said you've been away, Mr. Mikaelson.." Mr. Coleman elaborated, and the Caroline and Klaus both took note of how he'd not used Klaus's first familiarly as Klaus had asked him to.

"In Paris." Caroline offered. It had been her lie from the beginning so she felt it was only fair for her to elaborate on it. "Klaus is studying the styles of French artists such as Monet and Degas for his exhibition at the end of the semester." Klaus couldn't help but turn a piqued face to her, impressed by the artist name dropping she was doing. She obviously could have no idea what his style of artwork actually was, but it was kind of funny how she'd picked those; even though he never truly stuck to one style or medium, she hadn't been that far off.

"And where do you work, Klaus?" Ms. Haynes asked politely.

Caroline could tell from the looks on their faces that unemployment was not the best information to share with them and she quickly spoke up for Klaus.

"My husband is very deeply engrossed in his work right now, and he's contributed before in the past to rent, so I told him he didn't have to work. He has just enough money to keep the apartment on the Lower East Side, and I can keep this one for now. I've been able to pay for grad school and this apartment using a combination of a trust set up for me when I was little and inheritances I've received over the years. I know how important this exhibition is for him, so if he needs to research his artistic influences in person, I'm more than happy to support him." She verbosely elaborated for them and Klaus was amazed at what he was learning about her. Although she obviously had a penchant for shoes and she had inherited so much, she was a surprisingly grounded, thoughtful, and hardworking person. The two of them actually weren't that different, or at least not as different as he'd thought and certainly not as much as she thought.

"Ah, so you're an impressionist?" Ms. Haynes said and Klaus appreciated her knowledge of the style of art.

"Yes, although I like to think my art is a fusion of Degas and Pollack." Ms. Haynes seemed intrigued and wrote notes down on her paper, but Mr. Coleman looked uninterested, bored, or maybe both as he stared at Klaus.

"Your statement on your Student VISA application says that you have no criminal convictions. Is that a true and correct statement?" He asked and there was a pause of silence when Klaus didn't answer right away. Caroline glanced at him nervously, wondering suddenly if she'd married a convict and she felt disappointed in herself for not researching Klaus before they met and got married. Figures she ran background checks on her dates (when she used to have them) before they went out, but she didn't run a background check on this man before she married him.

"Yes, of course." Klaus replied after a short pause, but it was enough of a pause to affect not only Mr. Coleman, but Caroline as well.

"You listed French as your second language, Klaus. Do you speak French as well, Mrs. Mikaelson?" His partner quickly followed up.

"Oh, Caroline, please," she said, choosing to take the friendly, familiar route that Klaus had taken earlier. Ms. Haynes seemed to be more receptive to them than her partner, so it couldn't hurt to play to her a bit. "And yes, but I'm not as fluent as Klaus. I only studied in high school and a bit in college."

"Don't be so modest, love," Klaus said and Caroline swallowed her groan at hearing him call her 'love' again even though he know how much she detested it, "She's much better than she lets on."

"No, no, I'm really not..." Caroline insisted with a smile, squeezing Klaus's arm again, hoping her 'shut up' signal was getting through.

"She's much better than she gives herself credit for..." Klaus insisted and Caroline resisted the urge to scoff. Ordering food in French in a restaurant doesn't make her fluent, and she had no idea why Klaus was stressing the language thing so much other than possibly making them seem like a couple because they had things in common? But plenty of couples she knew had very few things in common; hell, look at Damon and Elena. But not as to arouse suspicion, Caroline simply chuckled lightly and smiled at Klaus, turning her smile to the INS agents. He was lucky she minored in theatre as an undergrad and, having been in and seen her fair share of shows at Richmond, hopefully it made her a good enough actress; good enough to fool these two, that is.

"They do say French is the language of love, right?" Ms. Haynes said, her eyebrows moving up and down with a smile on her face and Klaus and Caroline chuckled obligingly but haltingly. The woman murmured, glancing at how even though Caroline's right hand had released her left was still intertwined with Klaus's, and they both seemed much more relaxed than they had initially.

"Well then," she started, a smile on her face, "That about does it..." She sounded content and was putting her things away with the smile still on her face, but even though her partner followed suit, he still looked at them suspiciously. "We're sorry to have troubled you. There's been a major clampdown on illegal aliens marrying for residency status, and the green card. It's come down from the very top: the White House."

"Well you don't want to let in the wrong type of people..." Klaus said.

"Precisely." Mr. Coleman said, noticeably sterner than all his other emotionless and discerning responses.

"We understand..." Caroline said as warmly as she could, hoping her tone also had a sense of finality that would make their guests leave faster.

"As a matter of curiosity, how did you two meet? It must have been so romantic." Ms. Haynes asked, smiling. However, the woman's smile slowly started to fade. It faded as the silence continued and became more and more deafening as both stared at the woman, not sure what to do or what to say. They told themselves and each other they'd just make up a story, and now they suddenly had to: easier said than done.

"Well I, uh-" she started.

"We, um-" He said at the same time as her, and then they immediately tried to recover.

"No you go ahead!" she said.

"Please, you go..." he said at the same time.

"Uh... Uh, we met at, uh-"

"We sort of crashed into each other!" Klaus suddenly said, deciding to take charge since Caroline was faltering. When he spoke over top of her, she buttoned her lip and glanced between him and the agents.

"Oh my gosh. How did you manage that?" Ms. Haynes asked.

"Well we were at this party..."

"A party?" Mr. Coleman interjected disapprovingly.

"Yes, and it was in this very crowded apartment, and I..." Klaus started again.

"Oh, _honey bear_! You don't have to tell them that whole _embarrassing_ story..." Caroline said, her voice high and congenial, but her eyes lethal and zeroed in on the offending party: Klaus. She couldn't possibly allow him to tell the INS agents how they'd met at a party full of drunk grad students and she'd went ballistic and flipped out on him over a pair of shoes.

"It's only embarrassing for you, _love_," Klaus quickly replied, "It's actually a funny story..."

"Well the point is, _darling_, that we were introduced by a mutual friend of ours, Stefan Salvatore..." she said, hoping that the explanation of being

"The witness at your wedding," Mr. Coleman stated, not as much a question so much as putting two and two together aloud.

"Yes, our mate Stefan had been trying to set us up for ages." Klaus affirmed, resigning himself to a simple answer for Caroline's sake, since she was insistent that they not go into detail about how they met. He didn't understand what the big deal was; they met before they entered into this 'marriage of convenience,' so they didn't have to make up some story out of thin air. So he just began murmuring along with Caroline and smiled at Ms. Haynes, who was smiling back at them.

"And...?" she added and Klaus glanced at Caroline, whose face was frozen on the woman with her smile still plastered on, and he could see that it wasn't computing in her brain. If the woman wanted to know more, they had to tell her more; they'd gotten this far, they couldn't blow it now!

"Well, it was already a raging party once Stefan and I got there, and he pointed out the kitchen so I could go and get myself a drink while he searched for his brother, whom as I recall it was hosting the party..." Klaus started, and suddenly Caroline's phone started vibrating on the desk just off the living room and all four glanced over at it. Caroline, however, sat awkwardly, glancing at it but not going to retrieve it.

"Are you going to go and answer that?" Ms. Haynes asked, but Caroline didn't budge. She refused to move from Klaus's side, not while he was telling the "story" of how they met. God only knows what he'd say if she stepped out to take a phone call. No, it had to wait.

"Oh no, it's fine," she tried to reassure the woman, but the phone began to vibrate again even though it had just stopped after the previous call.

"Why don't you go get that, sweetheart." Klaus said, overly affectionate. "What if it's your advisor? Or the Today Show? Important lady. Important calls." he added knowingly, and she cursed him silently because she couldn't argue with his logic; especially not in front of the INS agents.

"Fine," Caroline said, smiling through gritted teeth. She hurried as slowly as she could over to her phone and glanced at the screen. "_Of course you're calling right now!_" she tried to keep her eyes from falling out of her skull seeing his name light up her screen. If she ignored the call or forwarded it to voicemail, he'd just keep calling back; he's that much of an idiot. She released an aggravated breath through her nose and hit the send button, bringing the phone up to her ear.

"Tyler?" Caroline said, whispering.

"Hey, peach. What's shaking-" he started, but Caroline quickly cut him off.

"You're still visiting your parents upstate, right?!" She couldn't help the panic and paranoia in her voice. Ever since he had dropped her off that night before she found Klaus, John Gilbert gave her judgmental, strange looks every time she came back in the building alone. Panic and paranoia were becoming commonplace as she tried her best to keep up this charade. "No, I'm not happy you're gone..."

"Please go on, Klaus. You said your friend's brother was the one hosting this party?" Ms. Haynes smiled at Klaus, and he glanced between the two agents. The woman was obviously enraptured and intrigued, and where she was enraptured and intrigued, he looked disillusioned and skeptical. He glanced towards the kitchen, where Caroline had retreated in an attempt to distance herself but not actually leave to go outside for her conversation.

"Tyler, I just can't talk right now!" she hushed urgently. Klaus clenched his fists, figuring that had to be the bloke she was with in the restaurant. She wouldn't be behaving this way if it were anybody else, it had to be someone with whom she was intimate; and from the way this guy had put his hand on her leg in the restaurant, Klaus knew they were intimate.

"Klaus? Mr. Mikaelson?" Klaus's head snapped back to the agents in front of him.

"What?"

"I said 'Please, continue!'" Ms. Haynes said with a smile, obviously not bothered that Caroline had left the room. He glanced over and saw Mr. Coleman eyeing him warily, and Klaus knew this was all him now. Maybe Ms. Haynes wouldn't, but Coleman would definitely be getting a read on him now that Caroline wasn't in the room.

"Oh, sure thing, love. Uh... where was I?"

"Your friend Stefan's brother? It was his party?"

"Oh yes! Well, I went into the kitchen to get a drink, and on the way I found the punch, so I poured myself a Solo cup, but it was a little room temperature, all the ice had melted so I went to find the cooler to get some ice. As I approached the open door, some bloke knocked into me and I fell into the cool box's door..." Klaus explained and at some point during the discussion, he'd stood and started reenacting the scene. "And I caught myself with my right hand, but I had the Solo cup in my left and unfortunately as I fell forward I managed to spill the punch on Caroline's shoes."

"So Caroline was standing there?" Ms. Haynes asked.

"Oh she was in the cooler, so I spilled punch on her shoes and hit her with the door..."

"Oh my gosh!" Ms. Haynes said, a hand covering her mouth, even though Klaus could tell she wanted to laugh.

"She was _furious_." He said with an evil smirk, "It was a total accident, but she stormed past me, I don't even think she looked at me, and so then Stefan found me and I told him what had happened and he saw her making her way from the main hall bathroom to the master bedroom that was closed off from the party, so we followed her in. He managed to get her out of the bathroom, she looked so sad and pathetic, washing her shoes off with a cloth and some water, and Stefan tried to introduce us, but she had a little tantrum and did her best to give me the cold shoulder. I didn't give up though, but see the problem was, I've trained myself to tune out everything Stefan says, so I didn't even catch her name and I didn't remember what it was from him telling me before, so I kept calling her the wrong name..."

"Oh no!" Ms. Haynes laughed, the comedy of errors that was how he and Caroline first met obviously winning her over. Mr. Coleman still looked to be scrutinizing him silently, though.

"Exactly, so between the shoes and the name game, Caroline was in a right strop with me, and she suddenly started yelling and flailing her arms, a shoe in each hand, ranting about how her name was 'CA-RO-LINE'" he started to reenact Caroline's outburst, "Not Carrie, not Cara, _Caroline!_" Ms. Haynes couldn't help but laugh, even though her partner could, and Klaus chuckled, adding, "I believe references to a Kennedy and Neil Diamond song were mixed in there somewhere."

"What a wild story!" Ms. Haynes laughed and her partner nodded.

"Yes, very wild..." he said, looking Klaus up and down before glancing in the direction of the kitchen, where Caroline was still on the phone, and quickly glanced back at Klaus. There was a moment of awkward silence between the three as Ms. Haynes finished laughing and suddenly Mr. Coleman spoke again. "I'm sorry, but may I use your bathroom?" Klaus felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Hm?" he murmured a little stunned, hoping that the man wouldn't repeat the question.

"Bathroom?" the man repeated, looking at Klaus expectantly.

"What for?" Klaus immediately responded, and after looking at their reactions, he realized he should've thought about that before just saying it. He hadn't said it angrily or defensively, but it was a little firm for the light hearted tone he'd had only moments ago.

"Uh, because I need to use it..." Mr. Coleman said, as if it should be obvious, which it was; however, Klaus was just trying to stall for Caroline to finally hang up that infernal phone with that _boy_, thorn in his side and a pain in his ass especially now of all times. No such luck though. Klaus hadn't been shown the apartment and he hadn't explored further than the living room. He knew that wasn't just on Caroline, he should've been there earlier, and now this whole charade was seconds away from crumbling before his eyes.

"Oh sure, go right ahead..." he said, gesturing generally at the hallway that no doubt lead to the bathroom, along with Caroline's bedroom.

"Where is it?"

"What?"

"Would you mind showing me where it is?" It was an innocent enough request, but for Klaus would've rather he asked him to recite the Gettysburg Address in Chinese.

"Oh, no, of course..." Klaus said, trying to sound as amicable as he could, even though he was slow moving, hoping that Caroline would get off the phone and out of this pickle. Once again, no such luck. He slowly made his way to the hallway, Mr. Coleman following behind him and after throwing one more glance back at the kitchen where he heard Caroline's hushed voice, and he took a deep breath and made his way down the corridor.

It was like a nightmare, that one where you're trapped and you're running from something, and you run until you hit a dead end with three doors in front of you, and if you don't pick the correct door right away, you're dead. He slowly made his way, staring ahead at the three doors on each side of the hallway that stood before him. He took another deep breath and took a stab at it and reached for the knob of the door on his immediate right. It looked smaller and he hoped it was some small hall bathroom without a tub, because to him the other two doors looked like they'd lead to full rooms. He opened the door for the agent, and not a second after the door was open, the man was catching a mop and broom that had nearly whacked him in the face as they fell from the closet.

"Oh, so sorry, I keep forgetting Caroline renovated while I was gone, that used to be a small bathroom..." Klaus tried to cover, but Coleman was mostly just distracted, trying to push the cleaning supplies back into the closet. Klaus immediately turned and decided to try Door #1, figuring the master bedroom was at the very end of the hall.

He was wrong.

Coleman peered over his shoulder and took in Caroline's bedroom, which Klaus would've enjoyed seeing more if he didn't have an INS Agent with him, expecting him to know the layout of "his apartment."

"And see this used to be a closet but we cleared it out and turned it into our bedroom..." Klaus said, trying to sound casual. "And this..." he quickly closed the bedroom door and reached for Door #2, praying that it wasn't an office or something. He turned the knob and sighed as he saw tiling and a shower curtain. "...Is the bathroom..." Klaus's charisma and accent would've worked on anyone else, but not Coleman. The face he made at Klaus as he turned and shut the door behind him should've melted the skin off Klaus's face.

"Shit." Klaus muttered quietly to himself before turning back to see how much more he could butter up the female INS agent who'd taken to him and "his wife" much more.

* * *

"LET HIM MOVE INTO MY APARTMENT!? ARE YOU CRAZY!? ARE YOU DRINKING AGAIN, ALARIC?!" Caroline nearly screeched as the pair walked through Central Park, each with a coffee in hand.

"Hey! You know I'm 18 months clean and sober, so don't try to make this about me, Caroline..."

Caroline sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry, that was mean, even for me." Alaric looked at her kindly, knowing the stress of her situation made her lash out at him irrationally, and forgave her immediately. She was peering up at him apologetically and he looked back at her with his own dig to get at her.

"Frankly, Caroline, it's funny you should try to point out my shortcomings when it seems to me like you're the one that has her priorities all wrong..." Caroline scoffed and gave him a look as if to say, "_Well thanks!_"

"Don't look so shocked!" Alaric said firmly, but with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "I may be a recovering alcoholic, but you're the one that married a man just to give him a Green Card and to get an apartment."

"Touché..." Caroline murmured, looking back at the ground as they continued their leisurely stroll.

"Look, I consider you my friend, Caroline, but I'm still your lawyer too. I've known you since you were a freshman, bright eyed and bushy tailed out of undergrad, and hearing that you married a complete stranger? Well that even shocked me."

"I know. Stefan just made it sound so simple; Get married, go home, one year, get divorced..." Caroline said quietly, playing with the lid of her coffee cup. Alaric chuckled dryly.

"I mean you can call me 'old-fashioned' when it comes to marriage, but I happen to believe that being in love should have something to do with it. You don't? Huh, well fine."

"Please, all marriage is is a business arrangement." Caroline scoffed. Of course Alaric, the sentimentalist, thought love was the point. He'd been married for nearly six years when his wife Isobel came home one night, told him unceremoniously that she wanted a divorce, and within six weeks their marriage was over and she had moved out. It had sent him on a downward spiral until he went to a Harvard alumni mixer a friend of his from his Harvard days and met Jenna, his now wife, who was a Harvard grad as well and, ironically enough, a psychologist. It was love at first sight and Jenna not only gave Ric his life back, but she made him a better man.

Plus, he was a romantic, so his opinion on love meant nothing to Caroline.

"Right. And that opinion has nothing to do with the fact that your dad came out of the closet, left you and your mom for a man?"

"Ric..." Caroline's voice had a warning tone and he held up both hands defensively.

"I'm just saying, if marrying a complete stranger doesn't shock you, then letting him move in and letting him sleep on the sofa shouldn't shock you either."

"Oh my god, this is not happening!" Caroline said, rubbing her forehead after downing the last of her coffee and tossing it in a nearby trash bin.

"Look, they want to have a second interview, but luckily for the two of you, the Immigration Office is cleaning house and they've been firing some people and promoting others, so they're understaffed at the moment and that's bought you two some more time. Otherwise, you'd be scheduled for an appointment first thing on Monday."

"Finally, at least one break then..." She sighed, feeling more relieved and Alaric nodded and continued.

"So your second interview is after the first week of April, this is the last week of February so that gives you roughly a month, a month and a half to get your stories straight and get to know each other."

"A month and a half? Well I don't see why he has to move in then, if we have that much time! Why can't I just meet with him? He can come over to visit, I can go to his sad, dilapidated excuse for an apartment if I have to, hell, we could meet here in the park!"

"Because this isn't just some friendly routine visit anymore, Caroline," Alaric said, his voice much more serious, "This interview is going to be much more in depth, they're going to question you two separately. They're going to want to know the color of each other's toothbrush! What does he like to eat? What's his favorite music? Does he snore?" Caroline listened and nodded but when Alaric didn't continue she looked up and saw him looking at her expectantly as if she was supposed to answer those questions right here, right now. She scoffed and when he didn't laugh or smile, she wracked her brain and realized she had been right: They didn't know a thing about each other.

She scoffed again and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well, I have no idea." Alaric finally chuckled, and sighed at her, and he sounded just like her dad just before he'd say, "_I should've known..._"

"So I don't know what color toothbrush he uses, and I don't know his favorite food or his favorite band and I don't know if he snores, but what I do know is he smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish!" She said confidently and Alaric couldn't help but chuckle. As soon as Immigration was out the door, Klaus had turned back to her with an expression that said hell had just frozen over.

"I need a drink. Got any bourbon?"

Honestly, her nerves were shot after that interview and Caroline would've joined him for a drink if she hadn't been so thoroughly disgusted with herself and him after how that interview went and how Immigration looked at them before they left. That is, she would've joined him for a drink if he had asked her to get him a drink instead of barging into her kitchen and loudly searching the cabinets and fridge before settling for the bottle of vodka she had stashed in her freezer; she smirked when she thought about the face he'd made asking what was wrong with the vodka before he bitched and moaned, complaining he didn't understand how women could drink flavored vodka. It was cake flavored, and he hadn't been expecting it when he'd poured nearly two shots worth in a glass before throwing it back.

"Sounds like my kind of guy..." Alaric joked.

"Hey, don't get any ideas. The last thing I need is Klaus getting in your head and being a bad influence on you!" She said, pointing at him and giving him a warning tone that made Alaric chuckle again.

"Well you'll need to know more for the interview. Real couples know practically everything about each other, so you'll have to be honest with each other, get to know each other's habits, it'll just be like studying for an exam."

"Oh god, do I have no other alternatives?!" Caroline whined, ready to sign up for two root canals and open heart surgery in lieu of moving in with him. She'd seen how he lived and set aside his arrogance, she didn't know how she was going to live with such a slob. She hadn't had a serious roommate since undergrad, and she had been a Biology major that spent all of her time in Gottwald, the science building, and if Caroline ever saw her she had been, although less neat and OCD as Caroline, the ideal roommate. Every other year after freshman year, Caroline had managed to snag a single, and she liked living on her own, not having to tip toe around anyone.

Besides, she didn't really consider Damon and Elena roommates; they were more just the people that had given her a couch to crash on once she'd gotten tired of living for two years in the dorms. It seemed like most of the other grad students could afford apartments, and she had tried splitting rent with other students in her Master's program but nothing ever worked out in the end. And now when she finally had found her perfect apartment, she was this close from losing it.

"Of course." Alaric said calmly, and Caroline turned to him hopefully, "You can confess everything and turn yourself in now, he'll be deported for attempting to defraud the United States government, you'll probably face charges, and definitely no more apartment." Caroline's hopeful expression fell in disbelief after his predicted outcome to a confession.

"God! It's like living in a police state!" she said dramatically and irritably, throwing her hands up in the air.

"No. No." Alaric said firmly, stopping and gently grabbing her arm to stop and turn her to face him. "It's called breaking the law, Caroline. And no matter how trivial it may have seemed to you at the time, that's what you've done." Even though his tone was serious, he had his warm Papa Alaric eyes on (his 'Papalaric eyes' Caroline typically called them) and Caroline knew that he was right; but she also knew no matter what, no matter how bad it got, he'd be there for her, as her attorney and as a friend. She cast her eyes down at the ground, ashamed for acting like a petulant child to Alaric, who never treated her as his inferior, even though he had nearly a decade on her. She felt his thumb rub her arm gently and she looked back up at him and seeing his small supportive smile made her give him one back and soon he dropped her arm and they continued walking.

"Anyway, I think it might be a good idea to introduce him to some of your other friends, besides Stefan..." he started.

"My friends? Really?!" Caroline said, and Alaric continued.

"Yes, you see people other than Stefan and it will look strange to INS if he doesn't know any of your other friends, so let him get to know some of them. You don't have to say you're married; hell you don't even have to say you're dating, just say that he's a friend that's staying with you while his apartment is renovated or something. You did say he goes to Hunter College? I mean that story makes sense, your apartment is so close the school..."

"You're right. But only if they cross paths, he's such an arrogant slob; if I could do this without anyone knowing, that'd be best..."

"Well it's up to you." Alaric said a hint of disapproval in his voice. "Just _get that story straight_." He added firmly. His firmness melted away though once he saw Caroline wringing her hands and her worried expression. "Oh come here..." he said, wrapping and arm around her shoulders and the paused so she could lay her head on his shoulder. "By the time he gets his degree, this will all be over. Then you can start planning the divorce."

"I can't wait..." Caroline sighed, relieved.

* * *

Caroline nervously paced around her living room again, glancing up at the clock again, wondering where he was. This lateness thing would have to stop and fast, Caroline was a very scheduled and punctual person and anyone messing with that wasn't just messing with the bull but with the horns. She had to run to the market before her partner she was paired up with for her one class emailed her the rest of the project, paperwork and release forms they were drafting from scratch for use on any morning, afternoon or late night talk show. They said they'd email that by 3:30 or 4 and since Caroline was free the rest of the night, she said she'd finish the other half for them to turn in tomorrow.

And if Klaus wasn't there in the next 3 minutes and 37 seconds, she'd be going to the market and he'd be shit out of luck and have to sit outside her door and wait for her to get back. She'd be damned if she let him derail her plans.

Just then the doorbell rang and she crossed to the door, knowing it had to be him. She unlocked the door and slid the chain off, leaning back against the wall and sighing before opening the door. There was nobody there, and her eyebrows furrowed as she leaned out the door to try and see if anyone was there. Suddenly he peered around the doorway, giving her a smirk, before raising his arm.

"For your aquarium." he said, as he moved his hand and held up a bag with a koi fish in between their faces. It was the last thing Caroline expected and she tentatively took it from him as he strolled past her into the apartment.

"Oh. Thank you..." she said as she turned and closed the door behind her. "You got me a lucky fish." She wasn't sure what else to say and Klaus quickly laughed.

"Yes, koi fish are supposed to be fish of luck, but legends say that the koi fish had the ability to turn into a dragon, so it also symbolizes power, strength and determination. I figured a strong fish for a strong woman." he said with a shrug.

"Oh... How about that..." Caroline said, not really sure how to process the quasi-story-slash-compliment. "Uh, thanks..." she repeated, and after an awkward beat of silence said, "Well, let me get this guy situated and then I'll show you around before I go to the market," she crossed to the fish tank but paused to throw him a glance over her shoulder. "Although, you do know where the bathroom is.."

"Careful, _love_, I also know where your bedroom is. Don't tempt me." he said and she froze, knowing that he was smirking her as he teased her even though her back was to him.

Caroline suddenly found herself wishing that the interview was on Monday instead of in a month and she made a mental note to herself to buy a security chain for her bedroom door when she went out.

It was going to be one long month. A very, _very_ long month.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Once again, thanks for bearing with me! I hope I made up for it with a 15,000+ word chapter! ;) I think that's also the thing, I didn't really know where to stop this chapter, because I didn't think Caroline looking for him was a full chapter and I didn't think that their interview with immigration was a full chapter either.

Just a warning, I'm in the middle of dramaturging/assistant directing a show right now, but hopefully my life will get less stressful once my dramaturging is done. I just had such a rough weekend and week, my director out of no where wanted everything and anything even though I wasn't given a due date, so I've been getting like 4 hours of sleep a night. But I think I'll be good and have more time once I'm done researching for her...

Let me know your thoughts! Please Read & Review!

(Shout out to my bby C.C. aka _klaussaholic_, for kicking my butt and hounding me and getting me off of tumblr until I'm done writing!)


	4. Chapter 4

_**Green Card**_

(Inspired by the Peter Weir film)

_Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off than they thought when INS comes knocking._

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for bearing with me, I've been so busy with the production I'm involved with lately... But yay! Spring Break! I can catch up on sleep, work, and this story! I realize that there are a few plot holes, like the fact that Caroline's not reporting that she's married for tax reasons... Be warned I'm taking a lot of liberties with this, I mean this is inspired by a movie and at the time of the movie the immigration laws were different; plus, this is fiction, fanfiction at that, so if it's not 100% accurate, I apologize; but this is for entertainment and fangirling purposes only...

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

Caroline walked into the market, looked around and was so happy when she saw that lots of her favorite fruits were on sale. She walked over and saw some cantaloupes and smiled, thinking how delicious some fresh cantaloupe would be, and glanced at the pile before picking up one and pressing her thumbs into it slightly before turning and putting it in her cart in the little basket that was normally a child's seat. Immediately a pair of hands picked up the melon and Caroline looked up irritably at the hands' owner. He brought the melon up to his nose, sniffed twice then handed the melon to her.

"That doesn't smell good, put it back, please." Klaus said simply, and taking hold of the cart and steering it forward to the next section of the market. Caroline rolled her eyes and scoffed before flippantly tossing the melon back into the pile. She hadn't meant for him to come with her, but he insisted on coming and buying groceries; she would've just as soon had him stay at the apartment. Grocery shopping with him was next to impossible. She had tried to look at some of the produce outside of the market, but Klaus had pushed past it with the cart after turning his nose up at it. She'd seen his expression, sighed and followed him in, just to be let down with the cantaloupe.

He was picking up anything and everything he wanted and tossing it in the cart without a second glance but scrutinizing anything she so much as tried to bring near the cart. It was positively and absolutely infuriating. Funny how she'd been grocery shopping by herself since she was 16 and had never been incapable of it until now; at least Klaus seemed to think she was incapable.

And of course they couldn't get along and eat the same things either; no, that would be far too easy. Caroline wasn't a vegetarian or anything, but she did try her best to eat a well-balanced diet, only splurging on take out occasionally either when she had girlfriends over or out of sheer laziness; with the amount of red meat Klaus was throwing in their cart, Caroline had to bite her tongue from asking whether he was inviting the entire fourth floor over for dinner or if he was just a werewolf and wasn't telling her. She'd reach for whole wheat bread, he'd reach for white french bread; she'd reach for Special K, he'd reach for Reese's Puffs; she'd reach for the Vitamin Water, and he'd reach for the Coke (to mix with his Bacardi, she had no doubt). She'd finally had enough when they reached the aisle with peanut butter and he reached for chunky when she reached for smooth peanut butter.

They both were moving to place their respective jars into the cart when both paused over the basket. Klaus glanced at her choice of peanut butter and up at her, and when he saw her annoyed, exasperated expression, his hand quickly recoiled.

"No, no, please..." he said, gesturing for her to drop the jar into the cart, but Caroline's hand slowly started to pull back.

"Whatever, it's fine..." Caroline replied dismissively.

"Please, I insist..." Klaus said, fully recoiling his hand from the car, but Caroline just moved past him.

"No, _I insist_..." She said, feigning chivalry and nearly bowing to him mockingly before she quickly crossed, tossing her jar of peanut butter on the opposite aisle with canned foods and exited the aisle. She did so in a huff, completely missing how Klaus hesitated with the chunky peanut butter before putting it back and retrieving her jar of smooth peanut butter from amongst the cans and adding it to the cart.

'_Who asked him to come along, anyhow?_' she thought to herself irritably. '_I certainly didn't..._'

She walked past the first aisle on her right and then took a hard right into the second aisle; and when Caroline turned the corner, she froze seeing Elena inspecting a jar of something from the shelf in front of her, and she slowly turned and tried to walk away quickly but quietly. Maybe she was lucky and hadn't been seen-

"Care?" She suddenly heard Elena call from behind her.

"_Shit!_" Caroline thought, but, instead of stopping and turning like a normal person, she decided to walk faster and turned left quickly out of the aisle. It would've been a brilliant plan; that is, it would've been a brilliant plan if Elena hadn't followed her.

"Care? Caroline!?" she continued to call as she jogged after her blonde friend, and after seeing Caroline's purse up close, smiled, "Hey! It is you!" There was no way to avoid it now. Caroline sighed quietly, clenching her eyes shut in frustration for a moment, but just before turning to face her friend she slapped on her happily shocked face with a smile.

"Elena!? What are you doing here?!" she asked as she reached over and gave her friend a light hug, her voice going slightly higher to try and act as if she were surprised to run into Elena.

"You know, I'm like, here... buying food..." Elena said as if it were obvious, considering they were standing in a grocery store. Caroline couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Yes, but what are you doing _here_, this isn't your side of town..." she said, trying to not let her annoyance.

"Oh right, well I was around here running errands for Damon, but Mom called and said she needed me to pick up something for tonight, she's having one of her fancy schmancy mixers, you know..." Elena said quickly, not considering it as important as what she said next.

"When am I going to get to see your new apartment?!" she asked excitedly. Caroline smiled amiably and was about to give her friend a vague but reassuring answer, but she heard familiar footsteps and a cart approaching.

"_Dear god, please let it be anyone else, but..._"

"Hello," Klaus said behind her; she could hear his smirk and it infuriated her.

"Hi..." Elena said hesitantly, wondering why a complete stranger was greeting her, but looked quickly back at her blonde best friend. Caroline shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as she glanced at Klaus, who was looking at her with eyebrows raised as if he were waiting for her to introduce him to her friend. It finally dawned on Elena as she glanced back and forth between the two.

"I'm sorry, do you know each other?" She asked, her brow furrowing but a smile tugging at her lips. She lovingly called Caroline a 'blabber-mouth,' so it seemed very unusual to Elena that Caroline wasn't loudly introducing this gorgeous man with 5 o'clock shadow and a hint of an accent to her best friend.

"Yeah..." Caroline said quietly before glancing at the man in question, "This is an old friend of mine, Klaus Mikaelson..." and she looked back at Elena, "Klaus, this is my best friend, Elena Gilbert..." Klaus stole a glance at Caroline before giving Elena a handsome grin and extending a hand, which the brunette happily took, blinded with the charm that rolled off of him.

"Very lovely to meet you, Elena..."

"Ooh, that accent, you're from the U.K. right?"

"Yes I am..." Klaus said with a knowing smirk and Elena nodded.

"Let me guess... Wales?" she added. Klaus chuckled, his dimples showing and Elena giggled. Caroline threw up a little in her mouth.

"Very astute, how did you know that-?" he started to ask, but Elena quickly replied and Caroline didn't miss how Elena took a step closer to Klaus.

"Oh I'm very in tune to accents; I was a theatre minor and we did a show set in 1930's Ireland, _Dancing at Lughnasa_, and one of the main character's love interest was Welsh! Oh, what was his name, that cad..." Elena started snapping her fingers trying to remember the characters name.

"Oh, Gerry Evans, that blighter..." Klaus quickly supplied and Elena snapped her fingers one last time and pointed.

"That's it! Gerry Evans! Yeah, so the department brought in a dialect coach, and the poor kid had to try and keep his accent different from all the Irish ones around him..." Elena said, and in her storytelling voice, Caroline noticed.

"What role did you play, love? Gerry's lover, Christina Mundy? Or her sister, Agnes? I bet you were Aggie..." he grinned and Elena giggled again. Caroline didn't bother to hide her annoyance and rolled her eyes again since Klaus and Elena were off in their own little world.

"Oh no no, I just assistant directed..." Elena said, touching his arm before tucking a strand of pin-straight hair behind her ear, "It was like character research for me, I was an English major and I wanted to write, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do playwriting or novels, but I soon learned that what I really wanted was to write the next great American novel..."

"Fascinating..." Klaus smirked and Caroline scoffed quietly. Elena simply murmured appreciatively before offering her hand to him instead.

"Well, please excuse my babbling... It was nice to meet you, Caroline's 'old friend Klaus'..." she shook his hand with a smile before turning her attention back to his blonde companion. The three stood there awkwardly for a moment and suddenly Caroline and Klaus started to talk at the same time.

"Well it was nice seeing you, Elena, but..."

"I don't know if you have any plans for lunch, Elena, but I'm cooking for Caroline, if you'd like to join us. I'm quite the book lover, I'd love to hear more about the next great American novel that you're writing..." Klaus spoke over Caroline, giving Elena another dimpled smile and Elena smiled at him before looking back at Caroline for confirmation. If there was a mirror near for her to see herself in, Caroline would've impressed herself with how well she kept her composure.

From just looking at her, you would have no idea her mind was shifting through all of the ways she could swiftly and surely take out Klaus in the middle of the grocery store aisle, knowing she could explain away her quick assassination to her friend later. She turned and looked at her friend's expectant face and smile before chuckling. For some reason, Caroline was much more at peace with the thought of serving time for Klaus's murder rather than for defrauding the United States government.

"Sure..." Caroline said through a tight smile and Elena smiled and clapped her hands.

"Great! Here, let me go snag a bottle of wine and I'll meet you two at the registers..." she said, turning quickly to backtrack to the wine aisle and Klaus and Caroline continued to the front with the cart.

He turned and opened his mouth to say something to her but quickly decided against it once he saw the look on her face as she stared straight ahead into space. She gazed past the registers to the doors that led outside and a smile slowly spread on her face, finding solace in the knowledge that Klaus could very easily trip and take a tumble into oncoming traffic upon leaving the market. Yes, that was totally plausible.

* * *

The three emerged from the cab they had shared to take to White Oak and Klaus and Elena continued chatting as they had the whole cab ride there, discussing their favorite novelists and almost causing Caroline to bash her head into the car window. Of course he would get along with her best friend; of course they'd have a million things in common. This plan to keep Klaus and her personal life separate was not working out very well.

Caroline grabbed half the groceries, knowing the Klaus would get the rest while he and his new BFF Elena were talking, and hurried out of the cab into the building. She heard Klaus and Elena talking and following close behind, and she quickly pushed open the doors to White Oak and hurried in. She saw John walking towards her and ready to greet her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs.-"

"NOT RIGHT NOW!" Caroline all but screeched at him, and she felt bad for reacting so impulsively but all she needed was to have Elena overhear her doorman greeting her with Klaus's last name. She blushed a bit and rushed to the elevator, and Elena followed behind her, asking Caroline if she still had her copy of her John Green book.

"Oh, Mr. Mikaelson!" John turned his attention immediately on Klaus, who was doing his best to keep up with Caroline and Elena, "These are my kids!" Klaus looked down and saw two boys, both the spitting image of John, about 6 and 8 years old from the looks of them, looking back up at him and he smiled and tried to be as friendly as possible to stay on good terms with the employees of Caroline's building.

"Hello, mate? How are you?" he said, offering a hand and shaking the youngest boy's hand before shaking the eldest's while John continued twittering away excitedly.

"Kids! This is Mr. Mikaelson, the one that just got back from Paris!" he said and the boys 'ooh'-ed and 'ahh'-d right on cue as if they'd heard of the legend of Mr. Mikaelson before meeting him. Klaus couldn't help but smirk.

"You've heard of me? Fantastic..." he said to the boys and glanced over his shoulder and saw Elena and Caroline just getting into the elevator, so he hastened his steps to join them as quickly as he could.

"Maybe you two will think about starting a family soon..." John said suggestively and Klaus was nearly taken back by the man's forwardness, but decided to oblige the man and shushed him while glancing back at the elevator and winked, as if that's what he wanted but he wanted to keep the topic hush hush around Caroline. John caught his drift and chuckled, "Oh yeah, shhh!" and winked back at him.

"KLAUS!" Caroline called from the elevator, not wanting to wait and hold up the elevator any longer.

"Coming, darling!" he called back, glancing over to make sure John had heard him use the term of endearment. The look on his face told him he had, and Klaus smiled, content he'd done his part to convince people in Caroline's building that they were a couple, and dashed to join the brunette and blonde in the elevator. He was almost to the doors when they heard a voice call from behind him.

"Hold the elevator!"

Caroline glanced over Klaus's shoulder and saw none other than the old crone Ms. Plec herself waddling towards the elevator.

"Going up! Hold it! Hold it!"

She was only a few feet away, but Caroline didn't want to have her ride up with them, especially with Elena there. She could only imagine how that elevator ride would go. Caroline quickly started pushing the close door button, but Ms. Plec had made it close enough and was pushing the elevator button from the outside.

"Wait for me!" She called, thinking maybe Caroline hadn't heard her, but Caroline ducked down closer to the button panel and continued to press the close door button. Klaus and Elena watched, stifling laughter as Caroline battled with the elderly woman, the elevator door opening and closing but never fully opening or closing until suddenly an umbrella stopped the doors from closing entirely. The sensor buzzed and opened the door fully and immediately and Ms. Plec looked around suspiciously and irritably as she came to stand in the newly opened elevator doorway.

"They should fix those doors. Someone could get killed around here," she muttered as she waddled into the elevator and Klaus glanced up and looked at Caroline, who rolled her eyes and seemed to be holding her breath. Honestly, she was wound tighter than a top, her blood pressure must be through the roof; he didn't understand why she didn't just relax, which would come off the most natural in any case.

The four of them stood there in awkward silence and Ms. Plec looked suspiciously between Caroline and Klaus, who stood on opposite ends of the elevator on either side of her. Elena cast her eyes down, choosing not to introduce herself since neither Caroline nor Klaus had introduced her; she assumed that meant that she was not someone they were friendly towards.

"What did those government people want?!" the toady old woman suddenly snapped at Caroline.

"It's nothing!" Caroline hissed back, not caring anymore if she sounded rude or not; Ms. Plec got to be snippy and rude, why shouldn't she take advantage and return the favor?

"We're not exactly sure what they want, love," Klaus said kindly to Ms. Plec, who shot him a look that confirmed that she liked him calling her 'love' just as much as Caroline did, which was obviously not at all.

"What government people?" Elena murmured to Caroline, and Caroline stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what to tell her friend.

"Klaus has some VISA problems, it's nothing..." she repeated, and it wasn't a total lie. The fact that they were being investigated by INS over the validity of their secret marriage _was_ causing Klaus VISA problems.

"They said, 'How long has Mr. Mikaelson been away?' and 'Does Mr. Mikaelson do this and that?' and about Mrs. Mikaelson; 'Did she go to Paris?' and so on..." the old bat continued, glancing between Klaus and Caroline.

"'Mrs. Mikaelson'?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrow at Caroline.

"Klaus's mother..." Caroline said quickly and calmly to Elena, making sure it was to her friend and not to the old bat still eyeing her suspiciously.

"Oh..." Elena said, looking up at Klaus, who had caught Caroline's white lie.

"Yes... She died..." he said bluntly, causing Caroline's gaze to snap up at him in shock as Elena murmured.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Elena said, touching Klaus's arm comfortingly.

"Yes, thank you... It was very tragic..." He said dolefully and Caroline glared at him before turning away from them so her best friend wouldn't see her rolling her eyes. She felt terrible about lying to her friend as all the lies started to pile up more and more; not that Klaus seemed to mind laying it on thick. Thankfully for Caroline, the elevator dinged and the lights indicated that they were on the fourth floor and she hurried off in front of Ms. Plec, to her door and unlocked it quickly and beckoned Elena and Klaus in, doing her best to be as friendly as she could as she waved away Ms. Plec.

Before you could say 'Klaus's culinary magic,' he was dicing mushrooms and spinach that was to be stuff in chicken with some ricotta and fresh mozzarella. He hummed softly to himself, obviously at ease in a kitchen, as he diced and mixed the filling for his stuffed chicken recipe in a bowl beside him, sprinkling in a dash of garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.

"I could just sit here and watch you cook all day, Klaus..." Elena said, sounding riveted and Caroline had to stop herself from snorting. Even before leaving Stefan for Damon, Elena had gotten the reputation in high school for having boys nearly kill each other to get to her Golden... Certain part of her anatomy; so the fact that she was shamelessly flirting with Klaus even though she was living with the man she'd left her ex for didn't surprise Caroline. Elena had always loved how men practically fell all over themselves for her; to her credit, however, Elena was the only person that didn't throw stones at Caroline for how she chose to conduct her relationships or lack thereof, even if that was only because Elena knew she lived in a glass house. The blonde and brunette weren't really all that different; Elena just chose to put labels on things where Caroline didn't.

"What a stroke of luck, huh, Caroline? Having a chef as a your guest?" Elena added suggestively to Caroline, winking before she took another sip of her sauvignon blanc that she'd bought at the market.

"Stop it, Elena..." Caroline muttered under her breath as she stood at the stove, dutifully stirring the lemon herb risotto as Klaus had instructed.

"So what brings you to New York, Klaus?" Elena said, her tone becoming less suggestive and more conversational.

"I go to school at-"

"He's just visiting for-"

Caroline and Klaus started speaking at the same time, and both immediately stopped when they realized they were talking over the other and Elena glanced between both of them expectantly, still without an answer to her question. Caroline groaned inwardly, knowing that Klaus must be going the more truthful route. The fact that Caroline and Klaus had made this arrangement by way of Stefan's involvement, and Elena and Stefan had a history made Caroline intent on keeping Elena from realizing who Klaus was and connecting the dots. Elena had always been one of the most perceptive people Caroline had ever known, and she knew she and Klaus would have to be walking on thin ice to convince her of anything. Caroline realized they probably should've worked on their cover story a little more.

* * *

_Caroline released the koi fish gently into the aquarium and glanced over her shoulder to see Klaus wandering aimlessly around her terrace, looking around at her plants and things. She threw the plastic bag the fish had come in into her recycle bin and grabbed her coffee pot and filled it with water._

"_Would you like some coffee?"_

"_That would be lovely," Klaus replied, and Caroline soon had filled the top filter with coffee grounds and the brown liquid was slowly dribbling down into the pot. Klaus saw how Caroline was watching him like a hawk as she readied the coffee, so he decided to come back inside and hopefully put her more at ease__. Soon they were sitting at her small but comfortable kitchen table just past the kitchen counter and the door that lead to the terrace outside. _

_Caroline placed a mug of coffee in front of Klaus before taking a seat herself. He suddenly pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and placed one between his lips before fishing around in his other pocket for his lighter. Once he had found it, he brought it up to his lips and put his thumb to the wheel, ready to strike it and light up._

"_Do you mind not smoking inside?" Caroline said gently but with a strained smile that suggested she'd pluck the cigarette from his lips if he didn't. He paused and considered still lighting it, the fantasy of Caroline taking the cigarette from his lips after a round of passionate lovemaking invading his thoughts for a split second before he remembered where he was; even though it was a beautiful day outside and Caroline had all the doors and windows open, he hadn't asked, so he did the right thing, not a common occurrence for him, and put the lighter and cigarette down obligingly._

_Since he didn't have his vice of nicotine, he decided to take advantage of the vice Caroline had offered and picked up his mug of coffee. It didn't surprise her that he took his coffee black, but she'd put a little cream pot and sugar bowl on the table just in case. She had already mixed her coffee to her liking, a dash of cream and two sugars, and brought her cup to her lips again as Klaus did with his; but when she smiled contentedly, enjoying and savoring the flavor of the coffee, Klaus tried his best to hide his grimace and Caroline noticed it._

"_What is this?" he asked._

"_It's coffee," Caroline replied flatly._

"_No it's not," Klaus replied just as flatly, past pleasantries after she replied with such little attempt at civility. _

"_Yes it is."_

"_No it's not."_

_Caroline pursed her lips._

"_It's flavored coffee... Caramel Pecan roll..." she answered and Klaus scoffed and made a face as if to say, 'And there's the problem...'_

"_Don't worry, I'll make us some real coffee..." Klaus said assuredly, standing and crossing back into the living room to retrieve something from his bag._

"_Well I like flavored coffee..."_

"_That's because you've never had real, good coffee..." Klaus insisted. "Trust me, that'll change when you taste this." He reemerged with one of those European kind of coffee makers Caroline had only ever seen in movies where the person puts it directly on the stove to heat up._

'_Is he serious?' she thought to herself, and apparently he was, because he had his own bag of coffee grounds as well as the coffee maker, and he busied himself readying it himself. Since he was in the middle of that, Caroline decided to just come right out and say what she felt she needed to say._

"_Look, okay, I don't want anyone to know about our arrangement, so we have to think of something to say to my friends if we run into them..."_

"_What's the big deal? Just tell them the truth, we met through Stefan..."_

"_Not that I expect you to understand what it's like being in a close knit circle of friends, since I'm guessing you don't have many..." Klaus chuckled and glanced over at Caroline and pointed at her, giving her credit for her dig, and she continued, "But my friends know practically everything about me, and you, being here, living in my apartment and spending all this time with me is going to see really weird, especially considering that I don't do relationships..."_

"_An attempt to hold onto your reputation as a bachelor?" he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at her, but then they shot up as she let her coffee mug fall to the table with a bang._

"_No, my reputation as a __**bachelorette**__... Jesus Christ, is it a crime for a girl to casually hook up like a guy? We can't be positively deemed bachelorettes like guys are bachelors?! No, of course not, we're sluts and skanks and hoes and-"__ she started to rant and Klaus remembered how she lost her temper the first night they met._

"_No, you're right," he cut her off and Caroline glanced up at him warily but saw the sincerity in his eyes and heard it in his tone. "I apologize..." Caroline silently regarded him and eventually sighed and gave him the smallest of smiles. Klaus knew there was more to this 'I don't do relationships' thing with Caroline, but he wasn't about to push it on Day One of their new life on 'Survivor: Central Park We__st.' _

"_So... Your story..." she said and Klaus sighed as he finished up with preparing his coffee pot. "You're an old friend, I admire your artwork... You're visiting from the U.K., you're only staying for a couple of nights... You're gay..."_

"_Gay?!" Klaus's head shot up and towards Caroline as he heard the last description. He stared at her as she stared back at him and he saw a slight rosiness creep up on her cheeks. He understood what she was trying to do; it was a facet of the cover story to explain away why she, the eternal bachelorette, was having a man stay in her apartment when he could've stayed with male friends. But he wasn't going to give in that easily._

"_I don't want to be gay..."_

"_Fine. Then you're not gay, you're just staying for a couple nights and that's it..."_

"_Pretty thin story if you ask me..."_

"_Well then you come up with a better one!"_

"_Well if we're going for a made up cover story, why not make it an interesting one, love? Like, I don't know... Something political... A terrorist, maybe?" As he got the idea, he smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and Caroline rolled her eyes at him with a grin, unable to help how ridiculous and funny that suggestion was._

"_No..." she laughed him off, "But political is good! A refugee maybe? Yes! That's it..." Klaus snorted, he'd been kidding and she was running in this vein now and he couldn't let her think he was serious._

"_No, we'll just say something simple... There's no reason we can't say part of the truth, is there? I'm an art student, I'm staying with you while I sort out some legal matters..." _

"_That sounds sort of sketchy though..."_

"_Call it what you like, darling, but another benefit of telling at least part of the truth is that it's easier to remember..."_

"_You're right... Fine, say what you want, just steer clear of any marriage talk..."_

"_As you wish..."__ he nodded obligingly as he sat down waiting for his coffee to boil on the stove, and automatically picked up his cigarette and placed it between his lips, but after pausing, put it back down on the table, remembering Caroline's request. He then picked up the mug of the coffee Caroline had given him, but could barely stand to smell it and immediately put it back down. Caroline sighed and finished the rest of her coffee, placed the mug in her dishwasher and went to grab her purse out of her bedroom. When she crossed back into the living room, she saw Klaus putting on his jacket. _

"_Where are you going?"_

"_Wherever you are..." he replied simply._

"_No you're not..."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm just running an errand..."_

"_And I can't come because it's some top secret mission?"_

"_No," Caroline rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I'm just going to the market."_

"_Perfect! I'll buy something to make for lunch and dinner."_

"_Really, Klaus, you don't have to..." she sighed, appreciating the gesture but really wanting her alone time now that she had a roommate again for the first time in nearly six years. _

"_I insist..." He said, cutting her off, "If we're going to be living together, it's only fair for me to contribute, whether that be contributing with the rent or cooking or anything else whilst I'm staying in your home..."_

_Caroline sighed, not able to fight his logic and not wanting to be ungrateful. No matter how he got on her nerves, she knew he meant well and the good intent was there, so she took a deep breath and slipped her arms into her Zac Posen brocade coat. _

"_Fine... Let's go..." She said, slipping her purse onto her arm and grabbing her keys off of the coffee table._

"_So where're we headed, Swiss Miss?" he said teasingly, and Caroline rolled her eyes at his less than subtle reference to how she had her hair up and braided across the top of her head._

"_I thought I'd go to the Eighth Avenue Food Emporium... It's like a 10 minute walk and subway ride, is that okay with you, E.T.?"_

"_E.T.?" he asked, wondering what she meant with the nickname._

"_Aha. Clever."_

"_I thought so."_

"_Yes, I see what you did there..."_

"_Knew you'd catch on eventually..." she said as she closed and locked her apartment door behind them. "We'll come up with our cover story later..."_

* * *

"'Visiting'...? 'Going to school for'...?" Elena repeated each of their statements and Klaus and Caroline glanced between each other before Klaus took control.

"I'm just visiting Caroline since I go to school for art... Even though we're both here in New York, with my work I'm so busy I never get to see her... And oh how I've missed her so..." he added wistfully, glancing at her with a smirk. Caroline banged her wooden spoon on the edge of the pan to get the excess risotto off, maybe a little too loudly. Klaus smirked and went back to stuffing the herb, veggie, cheese mixture into the chicken.

"Oh I can imagine..." Elena murmured and Caroline threw up a little in her mouth again hearing the sickeningly sweet quality of her friend's tone. "So what kind of art do you do, Klaus? I'm assuming of course you mean visual art, although you do seem like you could be a performance artist..."

"No no no, I have the worst time performing in front of large crowds... I mean I like being in big groups, but people don't really like me, so..." He started to say and Caroline rolled her eyes as she heard Elena take on a pitying tone.

"Aww, don't say that! You're such a handsome devil and you have charisma to burn! I can't imagine anyone not liking you..."

"It's easier than you'd think..." Caroline grumbled.

"What was that, Care?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing! It's just Klaus dabbles in a lot of different genres, mostly working in impressionism and he's in and out of Europe doing research so we haven't seen each other in a while... But he's just an old friend... He's-" Caroline was trying to breeze quickly through introductions and information, when Klaus interrupted her.

"Not gay," he said assuredly.

"Of course not!" Caroline said quickly, wishing her voice hadn't squeaked and cracked.

"Good..." Elena said simply, grinning at Klaus as she took another sip of her wine.

"He's just having some trouble with his landlord and so he's staying here for a couple of nights and with some other friends other nights..." Caroline finished quickly and went to plate the risotto.

"We're just friends... So I don't fuck her." Klaus said bluntly and Caroline exclaimed in shock and turned towards him and didn't even think twice about smacking him with the wooden spoon in her hand. Klaus chuckled and wiped some of the residue the risotto left off of his shirt as Elena tried to control her laughter to no avail.

* * *

An hour later, Caroline and Elena were sitting at the table, relaxing with the evidence of their delicious lunch still across the table as Klaus started to clean up the kitchen.

"God this apartment is incredible; I don't know how you got it, and all just for yourself..." Elena murmured, holding her wine glass in her lap and letting her head fall to rest against the back of her chair.

"It wasn't easy..." Caroline murmured to herself as she took a large sip of her wine. It had been quite an afternoon trying to subtly manipulate not just Elena but Klaus so that she wouldn't find out that Klaus and Caroline had met through Stefan. She knew it'd be downhill from there if Elena knew.

"It's just amazing..." Elena continued and she gently but quickly leaned her head back up and leaned into the table and whispered conspiratorially to Caroline. "So is your Welsh friend... I want details later, Care..."

"Oh, Elena, please..." Caroline groaned, refilling her glass even though it was far from empty and taking a big swig out of it, her cheeks puffing out.

When Elena had excused herself to go use the bathroom, Klaus confirmed that he had suspected she was the same Elena that had broken Stefan's heart and Caroline quickly told him how if Elena knew Stefan was a part of the equation she'd get suspicious. Klaus never got a chance to meet Elena since he and Stefan hadn't hung around the party at Damon and Elena's for too long after Caroline had left. Apparently her comment about Elena's tongue being down his brother's throat put too much of a damper on his night and Stefan had taken him to a bar in the neighborhood instead. Klaus seemed to understand where Caroline was coming from and had helped her steer clear of how they met in every other subsequent conversation with Elena.

Elena just smirked knowingly as she watched her blonde friend swallow the wine she'd stored in her cheeks, but suddenly her face changed.

"Oh my god, wait! I didn't tell you did I?" Elena suddenly exclaimed, clutching her wine glass. Caroline shook her head since she didn't know what Elena was apparently supposed to have told her. "You know how Mom's been looking for a new client ever since Christopher left_ Law & Order: SVU_?And she's been wanting either a singer or some sort of music artist so she can break into that market?" Caroline nodded slightly with a shrug.

Elena's mother, Miranda Sommers-Gilbert, was one of the most esteemed and well-known public relations agents in New York. Elena and Caroline had met as undergraduates at the University of Richmond, where Caroline had studied journalism and Elena was studying English to become a writer. Caroline was so pleased to get into Columbia and follow her best friend up to New York after graduation. Miranda had been none too pleased that her daughter had decided to become a writer instead of learn the PR ropes and take over Miranda's clientele when she retired, although that wouldn't be for a while.

"Well... You'll never guess who she got... I'll give you a hint: If Nicole Sherzinger and Nelly Furtado's baby and Nicki Minaj and Beyonce's baby had a child, she would be it..."

"No..." Caroline gasped when the realization dawned on her, "She didn't! She didn't get _Bonnie B_, did she?!" Elena smirked triumphantly and nodded.

"Oh my god, Elena, that's amazing! Oh my god, you have to tell your mom about the _Music of the Streets _project! That's just what they need, a celebrity endorsement! And it's from Bonnie's neighborhood where she grew up, it's perfect!" Caroline gushed and Elena held up a hand.

"I've already mentioned it to her..." Elena said with a smile and she opened her mouth to speak again, but Caroline excitedly cut her off.

"OH MY GOD, ELENA, I LOVE YOU! YOU'RE BRILLIANT! Oh my God, this is huge! This is going to do wonders for _M.O.T.S._ you have no idea! Maybe I could even talk to my supervisor about doing a piece with the Today Show, and that could give _M.O.T.S._ and Bonnie B some good PR and..."

"Whoa whoa, hold your horses there, Speedy Gonzales... There's a problem..." Elena interrupted. "Mom says that Bonnie B is too new of a client and far too busy with laying down the tracks for her new album to do any kind of celeb endorsement right now..."

Caroline visibly deflated but Elena immediately added, "But you know, I think if you talked to her, you might be able to convince her... She's always loved you and you know how she loves The Today Show... I didn't know that might be an option, so it's definitely worth mentioning..." Caroline contemplated what her friend was telling her and nodded.

"Klaus, lunch was delectable.. You are a wizard in the kitchen," Elena said to Klaus, who rejoined them in the dining room, apparently done with washing pots and pans and cleaning the kitchen.

"Oh no, please, you flatter me, Elena..." Klaus replied, sitting and putting his hand over his heart and placing his wine glass that he had taken with him to the kitchen on the table in front of him.

"Please, it was absolutely scrumptious..." Elena said, leaning forward and giving him what Caroline had come to peg as Elena's 'Please-take-me-right-here-on-random-furniture," look. Sooner or later, she'd stop throwing up in her mouth and the evidence of her gag reflex to her best friend flirting with her husband would become totally evident and irrefutable.

"Caroline, you barely ate anything..." Elena suddenly said, turning to the blonde whose eyes were cast down looking at the food she was aimlessly pushing around her plate.

"I'm not very hungry..." Caroline said, reaching for her wine glass.

"She's a very picky eater," Klaus said knowingly. "I'm trying to break her of that..." he added, waggling his eyebrows at her and Elena laughed as if he had said the most hilarious thing in the world.

"It's just not healthy! All that butter and cheese, and oh my god the risotto alone?! I'd like to keep my arteries clear and unclogged, thank you very much..." Caroline said indignantly and defensively. As she spoke, she watched Klaus casually take out a cigarette from his pack and place it between his lips. He had to be dreaming if he thought she was going to let him light up right now. Why? Because Elena was there? Because the windows and doors were open? Screw him and screw that noise.

"_**Do you mind?!**_" Caroline asked, her annoyance and intolerance in her volume and tone, as Klaus raised his hand and lighter to the tip of the cigarette. He paused and raised his eyebrows as if he were pleasantly surprised and slightly entertained by her impassioned plea. Slowly, he took the cigarette from between his lips and raised his hands defensively, a sheepish expression on his face, and placed the cigarette back in the pack.

"You're like an old married couple..." Elena chuckled and Caroline turned back to her, fifteen shades of shock painted all over her face. Klaus just chuckled darkly before taking another sip of his wine.

* * *

Half an hour later, Elena was finally preparing to leave and gathering her things, which made Caroline very happy. She'd finally convinced her to it was time to go, telling her that she had to work on that paperwork project and that she had other things to take care of, so she agreed to leave after she finished her wine. That wouldn't have been a problem if Klaus hadn't kept refreshing her glass. Caroline was going to smack him when Elena was gone.

Caroline walked to the door, knowing that Elena would be close behind, and soon she felt her brunette friend grab her and stop her.

"He's _gorgeous_..." Elena gushed, her voice dropping to try and make sure only Caroline heard.

"Elena..." Caroline said as she turned and kept walking towards the door, her voice exasperated with a hint of warning her not to keep going, even though she knew Elena better than that.

"I'm so glad I can say this now: I did not like Tyler. No culture, no worldliness, no imagination, no appreciation for literature, ugh!" Elena shuttered and gagged as she said the last part and Caroline rolled her eyes before she turned to her friend and replied.

"I'm still seeing Tyler..." Elena froze and looked at Caroline and realized what she was saying was true: she and Klaus weren't involved.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Ugh, oh my god, well done, Elena, why don't you stick your foot in your mouth a little further..." Elena said to herself and to Caroline apologetically and her blonde friend gave her a small obliging smile. She knew deep down Elena meant well, but often times Elena forgot that not everything revolved around her and her opinions.

"It's fine... Although I must say you were laying it on kind of hot and heavy back there, weren't you?" Caroline asked, quirking an eyebrow and nodding with her head in the direction of the dining room, where they had left Klaus. "I mean you're the one with an actual boyfriend here..."

"Hey, Damon and I have an understanding: we can look, but not touch. And we don't judge each other or chastise the other. It's a good system... And besides, if you're still 'seeing Tyler,'" Elena continued and looked back in the direction where Klaus was mischievously, "I wouldn't mind seeing Klaus again. He's dishy, Care... Mmm mmm mmm..." she murmured as if he were a slice of tiramisu or cheesecake.

Even though Elena had been speaking at a lower volume, Klaus could still hear the majority of their conversation and smirked to himself hearing Caroline's best friend's assessment of him. He instinctually took a cigarette out and lit it, then inhaled deeply before breathing out.

"Goodbye, Elena..." Caroline said, knowing that was the cue to usher the brunette out.

"Bye... I'll talk to you later..." Elena said with a grin, knowing that Caroline had reached the end of her rope, stepping out the door and waving over her shoulder before walking to the elevator. Caroline closed the door behind her friend and merely locked it with a sigh before looking back in the direction of the man who seemed determined to give her gray hairs. She got angry and focused and marched back to the room where she'd left him. Klaus heard her footsteps approaching and smoothly brought his hand down so that his cigarette was hidden under the table.

"Why did you invite her to stay for lunch? This is _my_ apartment..." Caroline said angrily as she started to collect plates and dishes off the table. "This is never going to work..."

"No, you're right..." Klaus said immediately and Caroline's gaze snapped back up to him. "No, this won't work unless you let me get _to know you_..." His reply was quick and Caroline could hear the frustration in his voice. She knew deep down that he was right: if they were going to pull this off and fool INS then they'd have to know each other inside and out, backwards and forwards.

But he was pissing her off and she wasn't done being angry at him yet.

"That damn story of us meeting at the party, you telling Elena that your mother died..."

"What if she did?" He interjected.

"What?"

"What if my mother did die? What if I didn't lie about that?" Klaus said cooly and Caroline was a little stunned at his frankness. It also kind of unnerved her seeing his lack of emotion in how he said it.

"Well... In any case," Caroline sputtered, not sure how to respond to him, "the lies, the half truths, the truths, this charade, pretending and lying to my friends, it's all so horrible..." Klaus rolled his eyes with a smirk and Caroline all but screeched at him, "_And I know you have a cigarette under the table so you smoke it outside!_"

She grabbed a stack of dishes and silverware and marched to the kitchen. She glanced over and realized that Klaus was following her on the other side of the wall from the outside and he came around and stood in the doorway that led from the kitchen to the patio outside.

"You began the lie when you married me, _I didn't make you lie._" Klaus said pointedly.

"Yeah well, I didn't invite Elena to lunch!" Caroline retorted, knowing he was right but not wanting him to have the last word.

"You always blame me and this marriage for everything," Klaus said, but he gave her one of his infuriating smirks before adding, "But you did it too..."

"Did what?!"

"Married me!" Klaus said and pointed to himself as he spoke, then continued, "I did it for the green card. Why did you do it?! For some real estate?! That's worth risking your career and freedom over? If I get caught, I just get deported, but that was going to happen anyway, so I had nothing to lose. You have everything to lose! Yet you blame me for a choice you made knowingly and willingly!"

Caroline felt herself getting more upset and angry as Klaus spoke, but she knew he was right. She had painted herself in a corner, and no matter who she tried to blame it on, she had no one to blame but herself. That hadn't stopped her from trying to blame it on Klaus, or INS or anyone, but now she was getting a reality slap, courtesy of her new husband and she refused to let him see her cry. She looked down and saw he still had the lit cigarette in his hand and the swirls of greyish-purple smoke were spiraling out of it and filling the kitchen. _Her kitchen._ In a split second, Caroline lost it.

"Outside! OUTSIDE!" she screamed in his face and pushed his chest with both hands, only moving him out the threshold because he hadn't had his feet firmly planted and was taken off guard by her sudden motion. His face reflected the shock of her suddenly being so physically aggressive against him and Caroline nearly shuttered as she saw his face darken and he stepped back inside and towards her and she stepped back in fear.

"If you push me to be a monster, _I can be a monster!_" he growled and Caroline watched him raise his hand. She watched his hand ball into a fist and she knew something was coming and as he started to move, he growled, "So watch yourself!"

She clamped her eyes shut, only to hear a thud and a crash. Her eyes snapped open to see that instead of hitting her, Klaus had punched the wall beside them. His knuckles were red, the evidence of his violent impact with the wall, and the frame that was on the wall had fallen down and lay between their feet, the glass shattered across the picture and the floor.

"Now look what you've done!" Caroline moaned, her voice heavy with emotion, "You stupid, barbaric... ALPHA MALE ASSHOLE!" She screamed at him, her face red and tears in her eyes.

The second the frame had fallen, Klaus has snapped out of his angry defensiveness, and now looking at Caroline, he regretted what he did more than anything. She was trembling with anger, but Klaus recognized that look and he saw it in her eyes as well. She wasn't just angry.

She was scared. Absolutely petrified.

Even so, she hid it behind her mask of anger and boldness; but Klaus could see the ghost of it in her stance, which was strong but defensively so, and in her eyes, which were filled with tears but crinkled as if she was still expecting another show of aggression.

Then he realized: _Had she thought he was going to hit her?_

In less than a second he recalled how she'd closed her eyes before he punched the wall as if... as if she was readying herself to take the punch. He couldn't let her think that he'd hit her, or do anything to harm her for that matter; she had to know that he, out of anyone, would never do something like that to her or let something like that happen to her.

"Caroline..." he started to say, reaching to take her hand in his to apologize, but she cringed and moved out of his grasp. He watched her shut down before his very eyes and then she turned and walked to her room, slamming the door behind her and no doubt locking it. He sighed, knowing it wouldn't do any good to follow her and stand outside her door, begging her to come out. He knew she needed to be alone and she'd come out when she was ready. He unfortunately was all too familiar with this and was sorry he'd put himself and Caroline there, and so soon.

Caroline locked the door behind her and sat down on her bed and, after a moment, began sobbing silently. She let her tears overwhelm her and the sobs racked her body and she leaned down and put her head in her hands. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a flashback like that. She'd been doing so well; so well in fact that she'd stopped seeing Dr. Fell as frequently as before.

She felt herself starting to wheeze and hyperventilate and she reached over into her nightstand and grabbed an inhaler and shook it a few times before putting it in her mouth, pressing the button and inhaling. She breathed deeply and felt her breathing slowing down, but she still reached back into the drawer and grabbed a pill bottle and popped a single pill into her mouth and swallowed. She knew she'd be better in an hour or so. She just needed time to collect herself. She needed time by herself, _away from him. _

There was the crash of glass coming from the kitchen and she was reminded of how Klaus's act of alpha male aggression had broken her frame and she winced as she heard what sounded like glass being stepped on, making it that much worse.

Klaus held his cigarette between his lips and stepped as gingerly as he could around the broken glass and picked up the frame carefully and looked at the picture. Caroline looked to be around 16 or 17 and she was posed with a woman with short blonde hair that flipped out at the ends and a man that had Caroline's nose and eyes. They were all smiling but the man's smile didn't seem like it reached his eyes. At least that's what it seemed like to Klaus. As he studied the picture, more glass slid out of the frame and fell to the floor. He sighed and carefully put out his cigarette on the patio and went to go and collect a dustpan and broom from the closet he'd tried to pass off as 'what used to be the bathroom' to the INS agent.

Caroline suddenly heard her phone ringing and was relieved that she'd decided to bring her purse and phone into her room before lunch. She crossed to it and looked at the screen and sighed, seeing Elena's name and picture lighting up the screen. She took a deep breath and hit the green button and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" Caroline tried to make her voice sound calm and together.

"Hey, it's me!" Elena said, "I just wanted to thank you for lunch! And for showing me your new apartment! It's incredible!"

"Oh, Elena..." Caroline said, grateful to hear her friend's voice now than ever. Even though Elena did have her shortcomings, she had always been there for her and Caroline began to feel guilty about the whole charade of this afternoon all over again. She murmured apologetically and remorsefully, "I'm so sorry for lying to you..."

There was a pause at the other end of the line. "'Lying to me'? What are you talking about?"

"_Shit_," Caroline thought as she realized she'd opened up too much in the wake of the emotional episode between her and Klaus. She was dangerously close to letting Elena know more than she should.

"I mean for not telling you... You know, not having you over here before; you're like, my oldest friend..."

"Oh please, forget it, Care..." Elena said, her voice unperturbed and Caroline sighed, relieved that she'd dodged that bullet.

"I'm sorry, I just haven't been myself lately... Things are just complicated right now."

"I understand. I'm here if you need me, you know that..." Elena said, but her tone sounded like she needed to hear Caroline confirm that out loud so she did.

"Always..." she murmured with a smile.

"You sound a little blue... Well I have some news that might cheer you up!" Elena said brightly. "You know how Mom's having this little soiree tonight? Well, I've just spoken to her and she's inviting you. It'd be a great chance to talk to her about Bonnie B and _M.O.T.S._"

Elena paused on the other end of the line, then Caroline could practically hear Elena's smile as she added, "You could bring Klaus..." Caroline grimaced at the mention of him but chuckled tactfully.

"Yeah well, we'll see... Klaus is still really jet lagged..." she lied smoothly and wanted to cry all over again from how easily she lied to her friend.

"Well, if he's willing and able, he's invited too... You and I are both allowed a plus one, but if you and I are both flying solo since Klaus is jet lagged and Damon's got stuff going on, we can be each other's plus ones!" Caroline laughed at the enthusiasm in Elena's voice.

"Sounds like a plan... I'll see you later then, Elena..."

"Okay, later, Care!" Elena hung up and Caroline let the phone drop from her hand and onto the bed and fell backwards and laid there for a moment before getting up and going to the closet to get her robe.

Klaus had finally swept up what seemed like all the glass and was running a rag under the faucet to mop up anything that the broom had left behind when he heard Caroline's door open and close and heard another door open. He leaned over and looked into the hallway just to see the bathroom door closing and he heard the water running in the shower. She probably was trying to relax and calm down, so he decided not to bother her and he quickly mopped up the floor with the wet rag to get up any of the smaller glass particles and he rinse the rag off before going and hanging it over the patio rail to dry. He looked around and smiled, suddenly knowing of a gesture he could use to apologize to Caroline.

* * *

Caroline took her hair down from the towel she'd wrapped into a turban on the top of her head and started to gently squeeze her hair dry. She'd showered and felt much more calm and relaxed and ready to move forward. She was ready to forget that the episode with the frame had ever happened and decided to go find Klaus and let him know about her plans for that night.

She opened her door and peered out in the hallway, expecting to hear or see Klaus, but she didn't. She slowly made her way back into the apartment and glanced around, but she didn't see him anywhere. She heard movement on her patio and she crossed through the dining room and made her way to the patio, and what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks.

Klaus was crouched down and arranging assorted potted plants and flowers around the patio: Kaffir lilies, African violets, Gloxinias, Begonias, Sunflowers. It was a nonsensical mixture, but they were all beautiful.

"Klaus," Caroline said, "What is this-"

"I bought some beautiful flowers for you..." He said, looking over his shoulder before standing. "You had so many plants, but not much color... I thought you might enjoy some more color..." Caroline sighed. She knew he was trying to make up for earlier, and while it was sweet, she didn't know if she could handle taking care of all these flowers with their different needs in addition to her plants.

"Look, that's really sweet of you, but-" She started but Klaus held up a finger to stop her.

"And..." He said, crossing back into the kitchen where the picture frame had fallen. He reached for something on the counter then turned back to her and handed her her picture in a new frame with a bow.

"It's a durable frame with shatterproof glass..." he said proudly and Caroline couldn't help but chuckle lightly at how pleased he sounded with himself. "You know, just in case I'm an 'Alpha Asshole' again and break your lovely things..."

She glanced up at him and saw genuine remorse in his eyes even though he was smiling and obviously trying to make a joke. Her eyes looked down at the frame in her hands and almost all at once remembered the crashing of glass and Klaus yelling and then she heard more glass breaking and more yelling and she shuttered and put the frame down on the counter.

"Caroline..." Klaus started to say as he reached for her again, but she held both hands up again to make him stop and she moved to the other side of the kitchen and put her hands on the counter that wrapped around two of the walls and faced away from him. She wasn't rushing into another room, so Klaus waited for her to give him the cue that she was okay. He watched her shoulders move and heard her do her best to breath deeply and after a while she seemed fine and they stood in silence.

"A place of my own."

"What?" he said, confused and unsure of what she meant.

"You asked me why I did it. The marriage," she said, and she finally turned back to Klaus and he saw her regarding him warily.

"I wanted a place of my own. I'm sure it sounds silly, but my dad left my mom during my sophomore year of high school for another man and that kind of rocked my world... They divorced and had joint custody of me so I was constantly bouncing back and forth between them, even though they tried to be consistent and let me transition normally into my new life. Then to make matters even worse, my mom lost the house I'd grown up in; bad mortgage and my mom's meager sheriff salary and all, so yeah. All my life, I've just wanted a place to call mine."

Klaus studied her silently throughout her whole speech, appreciating her honesty and candor and waited respectfully, not knowing if there was more she needed or wanted to say. They stood for a moment in silence before Caroline looked uncomfortable and shifted from foot to foot and cast her gaze down to the floor.

"Look, I don't expect you to understand-"

"I understand," he said simply, causing her to look back up at him and he gave her a small, warm smile. "In a crazy world full of chaos, we all want something sure, secure; something we can control. And when you want something, and you have the opportunity to have it, you have to take it."

Caroline gazed at him and knew that even though he was speaking generally, she knew he understood her feelings and she found herself wanting to know what had happened in Klaus's life that made him able to empathize with her so easily. But there would be plenty of time for that, she told herself; baby steps first. You have to crawl before you can walk.

"So," he said, stepping towards her slowly, "We'll get to work tonight..." Caroline furrowed her eyebrows, not sure what he meant, and when he saw her face he smiled.

"We'll start talking to each other, telling ourselves about one another, then study and memorize the facts, just like school..." Caroline's face relaxed when she understood finally what he'd meant and chuckled.

"I can't, I have to go out..."

"Fine, then I'll come too..."

"No," she said gently.

"No?" he repeated. "Oh, you're going out with... your boyfriend?" he thought of Elena's discussion earlier of that... _boy_ he'd seen Caroline with at the restaurant. The uncultured neanderthal whose English was even worse than his French.

"No, I'm not... And he's not my boyfriend..." Caroline said quickly, "Besides, he's out of town right now..."

"Oh..." Klaus said, a little happy that she wasn't leaving him to go and be with the boy. "Then why-"

"I'm going to Elena's parents' tonight. You'd call them 'snobs'..." she said raising her eyebrows, referencing a vague comment Klaus had made about his family when Elena asked him how he had the means to travel so frequently.

Klaus chuckled and looked at his feet, but after a moment glanced back up at her, ready to ask again to come with her. He was prepared to use what his younger brother and sister had deemed 'his puppy dog eyes,' but when he looked at her face, she looked sheepish and uncomfortable, and he knew instantly what she wasn't saying.

"Ohhhh... You're afraid that I'll embarrass you..." he said, sounding as if he were surprised he hadn't realized that sooner.

"No..." Caroline said quickly, but there was something in her voice that let him know he was right.

"Yes, you're afraid I'll say something or do something that will blow our cover..."

No..." Caroline said again, sounding like she was trying her best not to hurt his feelings. He knew she must have accepted his apology if she was doing her best to not insult him, so he decided to joke about it rather than get frustrated.

"Of course, you're afraid I'll go all big bad alpha asshole on them..." he said, bringing his hands up to his face as if he were pretending to be a wolf stalking her. Caroline giggled and shook her head.

"No... Look, I'm not going just for shit and giggles, I'm going to try and convince Elena's mom to have her new client come and visit this program I work with..."

"What program?"

"_Music of the Streets_, _M.O.T.S._ for short..." she replied and just as she'd guessed, he had no idea what she was talking about from the look on his face. "It's this program for kids in impoverished areas so they have somewhere to go after school so they aren't getting into trouble..."

"Oh..." Klaus said and Caroline gave him a look.

"What?" she asked and Klaus shrugged. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I didn't say anything..." he said, unable to hide his grin and Caroline put her hands on her hips and answered him haughtily.

"I've seen that look before... You're one of those people who doesn't believe it's worth investing in after school programs like this. Funny, I'd think someone involved in the arts would have more support for other arts." Klaus opened his mouth to reply but Caroline spoke first.

"Did you know that kids that spend 4 or more years in the arts score noticeably higher in both the verbal portion and math portion of the SATs? Or that students consistently involved in orchestra or band during their middle and high school years perform better in math at Grade 12? Those results are even more pronounced when comparing students from low-income families..." Klaus tried to interject again but Caroline was on a roll.

"Or that a Stanford University psychologist and his colleagues found that students ages 7 to 12 who received more musical training in the first year of the study showed greater improvements in reading fluency over the next two years? And one study done at FSU demonstrated that when a group of 60 adolescents from troubled backgrounds, ages 13 to 17, participated in jazz and hip hop dance classes twice weekly for 10 weeks, they reported significant gains in confidence, tolerance and persistence..."

"Well I..." Klaus finally managed, but Caroline was rolling and couldn't be stopped.

"Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance. Federal funding for the arts and humanities rolls in around $250 million a year, while the National Science Foundation is funded around the _$5_ _billion_ mark. There's even new brain research showing that not only does music improve skills in math and reading, but it promotes creativity, social development, personality adjustment, and feelings of self-worth..."

"Caroline!" Klaus finally spoke up and took a hold of her shoulders and she stopped rattling off facts at him.

"Although I didn't know any of those things, I do appreciate how beneficial the arts can be in a young person's life..." He said to her assuredly with a small smile. Caroline took a deep breath and did her best to ignore the fact that Klaus was gently rubbing her arms with his thumbs, but it was really distracting.

"I just wouldn't have been able to get into a great school like University of Richmond, or into the Masters Program at Columbia if I hadn't had the support system of the people who watched me after school when my workaholic parents weren't there," she said, punctuating her confession with a sigh.

"And I wouldn't be the man I am today with my art..." Klaus nodded in agreement. Caroline gazed into his eyes and couldn't help noticing she'd felt the same way she had when he grabbed her face and calmed her down before letting INS into the apartment. Why did she feel this way around Klaus? But she'd also felt afraid during their confrontation earlier. How could she feel this safe with him and yet be scared of him too?

"Well, I'm going to go and get ready for dinner..." She said quietly and slipped past him. She was no more than a foot away when he caught her hand.

"Caroline..." he said softly. She turned and looked at him warily, but was met with a supportive and appreciative gaze. "Thank you for your honesty." She gave him a small smile and turned and left, her hand slipping out of his grasp.

He took a deep breath once her bedroom door had closed behind her. She hadn't told him about her episode after their confrontation earlier, but he knew she would in her own time. She had opened up about why she really wanted the apartment, so he knew she'd open herself up to him more eventually, little by little. He just had to have patience; and even though he did have a temper, no one understood the waiting game like Klaus.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Caroline was growling angrily as she pushed her hair back up onto her head. She'd been trying to figure out what to do with her hair for the past twenty-five minutes without success. Klaus glanced over from where he was reclining on the couch and saw her pad barefoot back to her bedroom down the hallway with her hair up, although it had been down only seconds ago when she'd walked back to the bathroom.

He now understood why women take so long in the bathroom: they are completely and totally unable to make up their minds.

He couldn't hide the smirk as he saw her walk back to the bathroom, this time with her hair down. She'd spent half an hour curling her whole head with a curling iron, so he wondered why was she thinking about containing those beautiful locks with an updo? He looked up as he heard heels clicking down the hallway and looked up. His pencil halted on the page of his sketchbook as he was stunned by the beautiful vision that approached him.

She was wearing a lovely pale pink strapless silk chiffon dress, with the fabric crossing over the upper torso over the bust and the skirt stopping almost two inches above the knee. The long legs he couldn't take his eyes off of were encased in sheer tights and four inch Christian Louboutins in a darker shade of pink were on her feet. Her hair was up and she had sparkly, dangling gold earrings on, and a gold and pearl charm bracelet on her wrist.

She didn't notice him staring since she was wandering around looking for something. She finally found what she was looking for and sighed with relief as she found her clutch, paler pink than her dress and embellished, and wandered slowly into the living room as she looked through it to make sure she had everything she needed. She smiled, seeing everything where it should be, and snapped her clutch shut.

"It's better down."

Caroline looked up at finally saw Klaus gazing at her. His expression was strange, she didn't understand what he was talking about.

"What?

"Your hair..." he clarified, gesturing up to his own hair with his hands, but nearly stabbing himself in the side of his head with the pencil still in his hand. "...It looks better down."

She opened her mouth to quip about his own messy hair, but she hesitated as she saw his stunned expression. At least she thought it was stunned, but she got the feeling that he was sincerely paying her a compliment instead of teasing her like he normally did.

_Where did the 'Alpha Asshole' go?_ she thought to herself. She gave him a small smile but cleared her throat and went right back to business.

"I'll be back by 10... Please don't answer the phone and don't open the door for anybody..."

"And don't take apples from old hags or eat candy houses..." he added, nodding.

"_Annnnnnd now he's back..._" she thought to herself. She rolled her eyes at him and crossed to the coat closet to get her coat. As she closed the door and put one arm in a sleeve, she heard footsteps and turned and saw him approaching her.

"Be safe and don't be late... I'll wait up for you." he said, helping her put her coat on and gently placing her keys in her hand once her arm was in the sleeve. Caroline looked up at him through her long eyelashes, artfully made up with liquid eyeliner and mascara, and saw nothing but authenticity and sincerity in Klaus's blue green eyes.

She knew he meant he'd wait for her to get back so they could talk and get to know each other better, but she honestly didn't know how she'd feel after this dinner and she was hesitant to tell him that. Then again, she'd told him she wanted to go to the dinner alone and he'd respected her wishes, so she'd do her best to not stay at the Gilberts' too late and talk with Klaus a little more tonight. She didn't think she could do much more soul bearing in one day, but basic facts would be a good starting point for them.

Klaus gazed back at her, feeling like he could've been knocked on his ass just from how flawlessly beautiful she looked, and found himself even more disappointed that she didn't ask him to join her. Any man that escorted her to an official event should consider himself lucky with this stunning beauty on his arm.

She gave him a tiny smile and nodded slightly before turning and taking the security chain off the door, unlocking it and walking out. She turned, giving him one last grin before closing the door behind her. Caroline paused a moment and waited to hear Klaus put the security chain on, and when she heard it, she smiled to herself and walked to the elevator. As she waited for it to come, she glanced around to make sure Ms. Plec wasn't lurking somewhere, ready to jump her and corner her in the elevator again.

When she glanced around, she looked back at her door and almost considered going back and asking Klaus to come with her. She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind though. After this afternoon, all she needed was to let Elena get anywhere near Klaus again. The elevator dinged and the door slowly opened and Caroline took a deep breath and stepped inside.

As she stood there watching the floors pass slowly through the tiny round window in the elevator door, waiting to reach the ground floor, Caroline's mind wandered back to her earlier interludes with Klaus, the good, the bad and the ugly. She thought of their fight, the broken glass, the flowers, the ribbon on the new frame, his hands on her shoulders, and his face when she stepped out in her fully dressed ensemble.

Slowly, her hand reached up to the clip in her hair. Her hand paused for a moment at her ear before finally reaching up and grasping the clip that held her blonde curls in place and pulling it out, releasing her golden tendrils and sending them cascading over her shoulders. She gave her head a gentle shake as the elevator dinged and stepped out and walked across the lobby, ignoring John since she couldn't even fathom dealing with him at the moment, and raised her hand to flag a taxi once she was outside.

* * *

He saw the lock turn as she locked it with her keys on the other side and he slid the security chain on, and only after he did that he heard her heels clicking away. He sighed before going back to the couch and flopping back down on it. He stared at his sketchpad and didn't feel like continuing with his sketches of random flowers on Caroline's patio so he grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V.

An hour or so later, Klaus was lying on the couch, eyes half lidded and bored out of his bloody mind staring at the T.V. blankly. He didn't think he'd have enough time to go back to his apartment and paint, and painting here in Caroline's pristine apartment was out of the question. There was nothing of interest on the T.V.; then again it wasn't as if Klaus typically found things on T.V. interesting, at least not in the way that Caroline apparently did, what with her DVR 80% full of reality shows and Lifetime Original Movies.

The thought of Caroline behaving like his sister, grunged out in sweatpants and a baggy shirt with her hair up and away from her face, piled on the top of her head in a messy bun with a headband keeping flyaways down, her face smeared in a green facial mask and pigging out on junk food while watching some girly T.V. show or chick flick made Klaus laugh heartily and he looked down he realized he had somehow picked up his sketchbook again.

It was odd. Lately he'd found himself sketching a woman since he met Caroline, but she was very vague and enigmatic and he didn't recognize her. But he knew she was strong and had a light in her like no other, and strangely, she was more defined in these sketches than she'd been in his paintings that he'd done over the last few days and weeks.

But before he could ponder this development more, there was a knock at the door and Klaus sat there frozen on the couch clutching his sketchbook, not knowing what he should do. Hopefully if he ignored them they'd go away. But after another moment, there was another knock at the door. He waited again and after another pause, the person knocked _even louder_.

Klaus sighed, knowing that Caroline would be furious with him for doing it, but he got up and strode quickly to the door and unlocked and opened the door, not even bothering to look through the peephole.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow, okay so that took much longer to write than I had anticipated... I got through a lot of it during work hours this week but I got inspiration for parts of it later, so I'm sorry for not posting sooner, but I didn't want to post it until I felt ready! (Obviously if you can't tell from this A/N, that first A/N is from almost a week ago now when I actually started assembling this damn chapter; I'd written parts of this weeks ago when I'd be inspired out of the blue and I saved them but when I actually sat down to string them together I felt like something was missing the whole time...)

Anywho! Send me your thoughts and reviews! I'd love to hear them! (And I'll have outfits posted on my tumblr probs tomorrow!)

_**MAJOR THANKS to:**_ Christine (melanoradrood; my doppelganger Katherine) for being chief beta on this chapter in C.C.'s absence (I hope you enjoy your much deserved Spring Break soon, C.C.!) and also my Elton John, Miranda (livingdeadblondegirl) and my biological momma, my Isobel, Alex (klarolineepiclove) also for both beta-ing and bouncing ideas off with me and FOR GENERALLY BEING AWESOME AND SUPPORTIVE! *hearts-since FF reduces them to 3s*

_Arts education statistics and facts from nasaaDASHartsDOTorg and dosomethingDOTorg._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Green Card**_

(Inspired by the Peter Weir film)

_Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off than they thought when INS comes knocking._

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! Hope this update finds you all well, I know everyone's been clamoring for an update and everyone's got a theory about who's at the door and who Klaus is coming toe to toe with! Let's see who was right, who was wrong, and what happens at the Gilberts'!

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

Caroline stepped out of the cab less than five minutes after climbing in and closing the door since the Gilberts at the north end of Grand Central Park. Caroline had hailed a cab just outside of White Oak, which was situated on 96th & Central Park West, so even if there had been more traffic and heavy construction, it still would've taken only ten minutes max for her to get there.

The Gilberts' home was actually one of the reasons that Caroline looked into the apartments on Central Park West. They were notorious for being well-to-do and upscale, and after working so hard in school and saving up money she didn't actually need what with her inheritances left to her, Caroline decided it was the best and she wanted nothing but the best.

The Gilberts themselves resided in a three bedroom, two bathroom penthouse on the outskirts of Morningside Heights, the same penthouse where Elena had grown up, and they still had her room for her should she ever come to stay with them, but since Elena had graduated and started living with Damon they had turned it more into a guest bedroom. Elena said she was fine with that, and that she liked knowing she had a room to run to if she ever got into a fight with Damon, which did happen on occasion but it had never been so terrible for Elena to go back to her parents' place.

Caroline smiled and shook her head, thinking of her brunette friend and boyfriend and how they could be at each other's throats one minute then making out and wrapped around each other on the bathroom counter the next. She told Elena they only butted heads because they were both so similar, even though she swore to Caroline they were not as similar as she thought; Caroline knew they weren't identical, but she knew they were much more like each other than Elena seemed to think or know.

Caroline tipped the cabbie with a smile and turned and walked up to the doorman outside the Gilbert's building and gave him her name and he opened the door for her and before she knew it, she was stepping out of the elevator and knocking on the Gilberts' door. A young girl in tuxedo pants and a vest with a bow tie answered the door with a smile.

"Hello, welcome to the Gilberts' residence," the girl said brightly, her pale blue eyes shining as her black ponytail flipped over her shoulder. "May I take your coat, miss?"

"Uh, yes, thank you!" Caroline said, still trying to figure out why the Gilberts had staff for their normally unstaffed 1,347 square foot apartment, but then she remembered that Miranda liked to hire staff when she had parties like this. At least that's what Elena had said since Caroline had only ever seen the Gilberts under more personal and less formal circumstances.

"My name is April, would you care for something to drink? We have red and white wine, or I could have the bartender prepare you a cocktail?" The girl asked once she had hung up Caroline's trench coat in the closet.

"Uhh, sure, can I have a glass of chardonnay?" she asked, trying to think of the most unobtrusive thing she could order, but as April walked away, she changed her mind and called out to the dark haired girl. "On second thought, I'll have a olive martini, dirty."

The girl nodded and continued toward the kitchen and Caroline took a deep breath. She knew if she was going to attempt convincing _the_ Miranda Sommers-Gilbert into changing her mind and doing something she didn't want to do, she'd need a little more liquid courage than a glass of chardonnay.

Elena's mother wasn't scary or intimidating by any means, and especially less so since she'd taken a liking to Caroline the first time they met. The Gilberts' came down to Richmond to visit Elena on parent's weekend her and Caroline's freshman year. Before she knew it, she was eating brunch at Can-Can in Carytown with Elena and her parents, feasting on the most delicious eggs benedict she had ever had and sharing Miranda's cinnamon hazelnut waffles while sipping the salted caramel mocha Miranda swore she'd love.

But no matter how nice and friendly Miranda was to her, Caroline knew she hadn't garnered her reputation in the industry by being all sunshine and rainbows. Miranda Sommers-Gilbert was one of the most well-known and well-respected public relations agents in New York City, and she had manicured her prestige nearly 30 years. She had been doing PR before Elena was born and even before she had met Elena's father, Dr. Grayson Gilbert, and while she was known for being one of the best, she was the best due to her unwavering and unshakable stubbornness and Machiavellian tactics.

Caroline took a few steps toward the living room, where she heard the majority of the voices coming from, but stopped when she heard a voice call out to her on her right.

"Caroline!" she turned and saw Elena's father stepping out into the hallway, closing his and his wife's bedroom door behind him. He smiled at her warmly and crossed to her and hugged her as she returned the smile.

"Hi, Grayson," Caroline said, still feeling a little impolite at addressing Dr. Gilbert so informally, but whenever she tried to address him otherwise, he insisted she call him by his first name. "Thank you so much for inviting me at the last minute."

"Oh please, we're delighted to have you. Miranda was just saying the other day that she missed you and hoped to maybe take you out to lunch sometime."

"That would be nice!" Caroline smiled, then she glanced over his shoulder at the door he'd just closed then back at him. "Everything okay? Or are you trying to escape the festivities already?" She teased, knowing that Grayson was the quiet, more reserved and private parent that would opt for a more quiet family dinner than a mixer like this.

"No no, Great Aunt Cleo the Klepto is here tonight, and Miranda and I keep noticing things we forgot to lock up before she got here. Not sure how she thought she'd get away with the knife Miranda and I used cut our wedding cake, especially since it has our names engraved on the handle and considering it wasn't hidden very well, sticking out of her bag like that."

Caroline giggled and shook her head. She loved being around big families and she had heard all of the wild Gilbert & Sommers family stories from Elena throughout college. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous, but the Gilberts had in a way adopted her after she and Elena became friends in their freshman year. Breaks that weren't spent with her family were spent with the Gilberts in their summer home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina or their resort in Bermuda or island jumping off the coast of Greece. The Gilberts lived a very charmed life and were gracious enough to include Caroline in it.

"But how are you doing? Elena tells us you have a fabulous new apartment!" Grayson said with a smile and Caroline smiled back at the man who was like her adoptive father. She always got along so well with Grayson.

"Yes I do. Speaking of Elena, is she here yet? I figured she would've jumped me at the door,"

"She would have, you're right, but as far as I know, she isn't here yet," Grayson commented, glancing over toward the group as if he expected Elena to appear now that she was mentioned.

"Should've known, fashionably late as always," Caroline said, rolling her eyes and Grayson laughed. Just then, April appeared with a martini glass in hand.

"Your martini, Miss,"

"Thank you, April," Caroline smiled and took the martini glass, grateful to have alcohol within her reach. The girl smiled and nodded before going to circulate and see if the other guests needed anything.

"Wow, starting off with the hard liquor, hmm?" Grayson said, his voice teasing as Caroline took a sip.

"Yes, well, as happy as I am to see you all, I'm on a mission," Caroline said, tucking her clutch under her arm so she could snack some hor d'oeuvres from a passing waiter. She popped the mini quiches and nearly choked when she heard Elena's father's next words.

"Well, I have to say I don't blame you, You might need another dirty martini if you're going to change Miranda's mind," Caroline glanced up at the man in surprise, chewing and swallowing anxiously, and he looked at her expression and laughed.

"I was there when Miranda told Elena, and trust me, I did my best to convince Miranda alongside Elena. I think it's great the work you do with those kids, Caroline. You've always been one of the most selfless and giving people I've ever known."

"Thank you, Grayson," Caroline said, feeling herself get a little teary at his heartfelt confession.

"Maybe you'll have better luck than Elena and I did," he said positively, patting Caroline on the back. She nodded and took a deep breath, taking a larger sip of her martini than her first. Grayson chuckled before offering her his arm, exaggerating the formality of the gesture. "Shall we?" Caroline chuckled and wrapped her arm around Grayson's and the two stepped into the fray of people that filled the Gilbert living room and dining room. It took all of two seconds for Miranda to spot Caroline and rush over to her.

"Caroline! Sweetheart! You look positively celestial," she called with a smile before wrapping her Pilates toned arms around Caroline.

"Hi, Miranda! Thank you, and thank you so much for inviting me!" Caroline said, wrapping her Martini-free arm around Elena's mother.

"Oh please, sweetie, you know you're always welcome here! I'm so glad Elena asked, if I had known you were free I would've done so! I just haven't seen you in so long," Miranda said, releasing Caroline but taking her hand and squeezing it.

"I know, I've been so busy lately. How are you?"

"Oh, the same! Work work work, you know me," Miranda said, winking at her. "That dress is so pretty, Caroline, Damn, I could never pull off that shade of pink, could I, Grayson?"

"Apparently not, but that wasn't from a lack of trying," he said with a grin and Miranda gasped and smacked him lightly on the shoulder while Caroline chuckled.

"Oh you! Well I have to go check on the rest of the hor d'oeuvres, but come find me! We've got catching up to do!" she said, squeezing Caroline's arm. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, the one feature Elena shared with her mother. In every other regard, Elena looked more like Grayson, but only certain features, including what Elena joked was 'the Gilbert family nose.'

"Okay, sounds good," Caroline said with a smile. Miranda turned her attention to the waitstaff and Grayson escorted Caroline further into the living room, and Caroline was grateful to see a familiar head of tamed but messy brown hair.

"Hey there, stranger," she said and Alaric turned at the sound of her voice and smiled.

"Hey, kiddo, How's it going?" he said, wrapping her in a hug before releasing her for his wife, who was smacking his back to release her so she could hug her.

"Good! Hi, Jenna! Long time no see!" She said, wrapping an arm around Alaric's pretty wife with light auburn hair.

"Yeah, no kidding! I swear, between you, Miranda and Alaric, I don't know who's the bigger workaholic!" Jenna said with a smile before she released Caroline. "Although, you are the youngest, so I think that makes you the biggest overachiever," Alaric and Grayson chuckled and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Please, if I wasn't in school and working for The Today Show, I don't know what I'd do with myself," she said honestly, and Jenna nodded.

"That's true, I forgot you about your big internship, But honestly, sweetie, I can't see you doing anything else," she replied, then she looked Caroline up and down, taking in the whole ensemble. "Wow, you look amazing, Care. And that dress, god, I'm so jealous,"

"Caroline seems to be inspiring a lot of jealousy tonight," Grayson chuckled. Alaric and Jenna chuckled and Caroline couldn't help but roll her eyes again before turning to Grayson.

"Speaking of jealousy, how's Jeremy liking Richmond?"

"He likes it alot, he actually just called us this morning, telling us that needed more money for some more art supplies, Miranda warned him he better be buying something green to put on his canvas and not in a bong," Grayson said jovially and Caroline, Jenna and Alaric laughed.

Jeremy, Elena's younger brother, was now in Richmond for school as well, but at Elena and Caroline's rival school, Virginia Commonwealth University, the self-proclaimed "real University of Richmond." It wasn't really a surprise; even though Jeremy liked UR, ever Elena's opposite, he was much better suited for the more artsy, downtown school versus the more business oriented, West End school. Caroline knew it was a better fit for him though, because although UR had a respectable visual arts department, VCU specialized in the arts, both visual and performing, and honestly Jeremy fit in with the VCU art kids better and easily.

While Jeremy had for the most part though gotten out of his recreational pot use, it was something that was always on his parents' mind; Miranda's more so than Grayson's. He swore that boys would be boys and she had nothing to worry about since he was going to class and passing.

Even though both Miranda and Grayson were at the top of their fields, both had different viewpoints on their children's scholastic achievement. They both wanted their children to be happy, but Miranda wanted them to apply themselves and be the best at some 'marketable profession.' Grayson, on the other hand, just wanted his children to do whatever made them happy and felt that everything else would fall into place, knowing that if need be, his and Miranda's financial security would cushion their children. He'd rather Elena and Jeremy be 'starving artists' and happy than in suits or lab coats and miserable.

"Has he sent you anything new?" Jenna asked. Even though Miranda wished her son would study 'something that would actually help him get a job,' no one bought more of Jeremy's artwork than his mother.

"He did, actually, It's right over here," Grayson gestured, moving and escorting Jenna to the portrait, but he stopped and looked expectantly at Alaric and Caroline as if they were supposed to follow.

"I saw it, it's great. I've gotta ask Caroline something, actually so we'll be there in a second," Alaric said and Grayson smiled and nodded, turning to lead Jenna to the painting that Miranda had already hung up on a wall in the dining room. Once both were out of earshot, Alaric turned to Caroline.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with Klaus, getting to know him and spending time with him?" Caroline sighed.

"Yeah well, I think I've had my fill of Klaus today," Alaric's eyebrows furrowed.

"Is everything okay, or-"

"Oh no, it's fine, I mean, we're fine now, we just," Caroline trailed off, the sound of broken glass, Klaus yelling, and his flowers and picture flame flashed before her eyes. Alaric watched her and waited patiently for her to continued. She finally looked back up at him and took a deep breath. "It's just been a long day, let me put it that way,"

"Do you need me to have a word with him? Because if so, I will," Alaric smiled and Caroline smiled and gently placed her hand on Alaric's forearm. She was so lucky to have such caring and selfless father figures like Grayson and Alaric in her life.

"Thanks, but I'm fine, I'm a big girl, I can handle him myself. But thank you, Ric," she said assuredly and Alaric smiled and placed a quick kiss to her forehead.

"Anytime, kiddo, anytime," he turned and laughed when he saw his wife's head cocked to the side, looking quizzically at her nephew's newest piece. "Come on, you've gotta see the latest Jere-Bear creation," Caroline giggled at Alaric's use of Miranda's pet name for Jeremy and walked with him arm in arm to join Grayson and Jenna.

* * *

After an hour of cocktails, Elena's mother called for everyone to come and sit for the meal, and the ten or so guests, including Miranda, Caroline and Grayson, all sat down at the finely decorated and set table. Caroline sat at Miranda's left hand, across from Grayson on their right, since she had told Miranda during the cocktail hour that she had some important business to discuss with her.

A place setting was left open on Grayson's right for Elena to join them whenever she actually got there, and Caroline was overjoyed that Alaric was seated on her left. She felt like between Grayson and Alaric, she had an ally in each corner and she felt empowered in her quest to convince Miranda to have Bonnie B endorse _M.O.T.S._.

They enjoyed salads and then were just about to be served their main entrees, when suddenly the doorbell rang and Miranda glanced up and held up a hand to halt the server that was crossing to the door.

"Don't worry, I'll get it, Anton. That'll be Elena," Miranda said, standing and she turned to her guests and smiled, "I apologize for my daughter's tardiness. For Elena, this is her world and we are just in it, and I accepted that a long time ago," The guests chuckled lightly and Caroline did her best not to snort. Saying Elena thought the world was Elena-centric was an understatement. What Elena wants, she usually gets. She's never wanted for anything in her whole life.

"Nothing like showing up just for the grub, huh?" Alaric muttered to Caroline who smirked.

"Please, Elena eats like a bird, I'm sure she was out getting some arm candy to accompany her since Damon couldn't come," Caroline replied, reaching for her martini glass.

"Well if she did bring someone, I hope he doesn't expect to have a drinking buddy in me like Damon does,"

"Please, Damon's got one foot in the door to AA, he just needs another push," Caroline muttered, sipping her martini, then choked when she saw who was walking in behind Miranda and Elena. She coughed and sputtered and Alaric pat her on the back hoping to relieve her coughs.

"Caroline, are you okay?" He asked and she nodded once and gasping reached for her water glass and took a drink.

"Anton, another place setting beside Elena's if you will!" Miranda said, touching the man's shoulder before taking her seat back at the head of the table.

"Everybody, I'd like to introduce Klaus Mikaelson, a graduate art student at Hunter College from Wales," Elena announced proudly and flamboyantly as if she were introducing royalty. Everyone murmured as if they were impressed and greeted him. Only Alaric bore the same surprised expression as Caroline.

"Is that-"

"My husband? Yes," Caroline muttered under her breath to him as everyone shifted slightly to accommodate Klaus's seat next to Elena and Jenna.

Klaus met Caroline's gaze finally and he quickly and stealthily mouthed 'I'm sorry' and looked sheepish, throwing a quick glance at Elena, who was wearing a dress made of enough black lace to put a lingerie boutique out of business. She looked at her friend and knew immediately what he meant; he wasn't going to come but Elena brought him, and as she said to herself earlier: what Elena wants, she usually gets. She wanted Klaus to come along tonight, so Caroline should've known better than to leave Klaus alone at the apartment and not expect Elena to drop by and insist he come. Knowing Elena, she probably dragged him out since he'd seemed content with staying in per Caroline's wishes.

But she looked Klaus up and down and realized he was wearing a nice, clean cut black suit with a dress shirt and tie and she squinted her eyes at him. Did he think she was born yesterday? She saw the small bag of clothes he'd brought with him, and his suit was neat and wrinkle free. He had to have stopped by his apartment on the way there to get it. He knew that she wanted him to stay at the apartment, yet he still came and on Elena's arm, no less. Irritated, she decided to give him the cold shoulder unless she needed to address him directly to not raise eyebrows.

As soon as Klaus and Elena were seated and situated, the main course was served, and Jenna wasted no time at all breaking Klaus into conversation.

"So how do you know Elena, Klaus?"

"I actually had the pleasure of meeting Klaus today, he's Caroline's houseguest. Mom said he was welcome to come but Caroline was too shy to bring him," Elena explained and Alaric snorted and tried his best to mask it with a cough. Caroline wasn't sure what he was chortling at: the suggestion that Caroline was shy about something, how uncomfortable this whole situation was, or both. In any case, she kicked his ankle under the table and he winced and yelped quietly, but cleared his throat and fell silent, obviously understanding what Caroline's gesture meant.

"And you're an artist? That's so fascinating, I love art," Jenna said smiling at the dimpled man beside her. This time it was Caroline's turn to snort. Jenna didn't _love_ art; Jenna barely _liked_ art. She only put up with Miranda fawning over Jeremy's art because he was her nephew. Then it suddenly hit Caroline like a ton of bricks as she watched Jenna across the table. The way she smiled, the way she laughed at everything Klaus said even if it wasn't meant to be funny, the way she flipped her hair and the way she was babbling and looking for any opportunity to flatter him: She thought Klaus was attractive.

Caroline glanced over at Alaric, who was staring down Klaus with equal mixtures of annoyance, jealousy and anger and did her best to contain her laughter.

"Good to know you're still on 'Team Caroline' than," she murmured to him, and Alaric merely grunted in response before eating miserably.

"Caroline," Elena suddenly said hushed across the table, obviously directing it for only her to hear and Caroline leaned in closer to her friend. "I stopped by your place to pick you up, but you'd already left. Klaus answered the door and he was all by himself, and I think deep down he really wanted to come out. He insisted he would be an imposition and he didn't have anything to wear, but I said we could stop by my place and he could borrow one of Damon's suits."

Caroline listened to her friend's explanation and stole a glance over at Klaus. He was turned and talking to Jenna and the others at that end of the table and he seemed to be responding politely when asked something directly but trying to keep to himself when he wasn't being addressed directly. Seeing him act so contained and reserved, while Elena not only explained why he was there but how he looked so nice, made Caroline soften a bit. She quickly turned back to her friend and replied, "It's okay. It's okay, it's fine."

Just then Grayson tapped his spoon against his glass and got everyone's attention and smiled.

"Katie and Joseph are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary," he said, raising his glass and gesturing to two of their guests who were smiling and holding hands and everyone murmured their congratulations and raised their glasses, clinking them with whomever was nearest to them.

Caroline held up her glass and looked around to acknowledge everyone around her, and when her eyes met a pair of greenish blue ones, they crinkled as their owner smiled a dimpled smirk and raised his glass in her direction with a nod. She couldn't help but smirk back, knowing he was toasting their nuptials and rolled her eyes before sipping from her glass. Klaus sipped from his own and as he put it back down on the table, Jenna turned to him.

"Are you married, Klaus?" Klaus's hand froze as he reached to pick up his fork again and Caroline's head snapped up hearing Jenna's question. Alaric started coughing as if he'd huffed some of his food in surprise accidentally, and he held up a hand as he cleared his airway and took a drink of his seltzer.

"Me?" Klaus said, playing innocent, smoothly picking up his fork. He paused for a moment and quickly replied, "Not usually." Elena and Jenna giggled and twittered as if he'd just said the most hilarious thing they'd ever heard.

"Whatever do you mean?" Jenna asked and Klaus smiled and chuckled uncomfortably.

"Well, uh, you know. Not usually," Elena regarded him and his answer.

"You're getting a divorce?" she asked, her eyebrows raising and a playful smile on her face.

"Yes, definitely!" Klaus's answer came quickly and Caroline covered her mouth with her napkin so they couldn't see her laugh. Klaus was doing his best to steer clear of marriage talk, but was failing miserably despite his valiant effort. She appreciated his courageous attempt and dabbed her face before taking another bite of food.

"Care, you'll never get married," Elena suddenly said, and Caroline froze but then tried to chew and swallow her food as politely and quickly as possible.

"What makes you say that?"

"It's not like you haven't been asked," Elena said knowingly and Klaus didn't miss the blush that suddenly appeared on Caroline's cheeks. The beautiful way it spread across her pale features didn't distract him from the fact that she hadn't denied Elena's declaration and he realized: Caroline has received a marriage proposal before in the past.

He found himself wondering who it was from and why she said no, and for that matter if she had said no. For all he knew she could've said yes and be a divorcee, but for some reason he doubted that but wanted to know what poor bloke had the misfortune to be turned down by such a beautiful girl. Elena continued announcing her premonition, however, and brought Klaus out of his reverie.

"No, you're going to end up some fabulous old Kate Hepburn meets Katie Couric in designer clothes calling the shots over at NBC," Caroline smirked a little, both at her friend's premonition and knowing that Elena was confidently spouting off this hypothesis while blissfully ignorant of her friend's current marital status.

"Yeah well, most guys I know are too boring or too vulgar to marry," she replied facetiously and took a sip of her martini.

"Change your brand of guys then, Care," Elena said knowingly and Caroline raised her eyebrows at her friend and smirked.

"Really?"

"Really, Care," Caroline was amused at the thought of Elena giving her relationship advice when for one, she left her boyfriend of nearly two years for his brother; and two, said boyfriend had the maturity of a 16 year old boy, despite the fact that he was the eldest brother.

"You're nice, but you're not looking for commitment, so you put that kind of energy out and people who are the same or think the same respond to it, so then you get two nice people who aren't looking for strings or attachments," Caroline fell silent after hearing her friend's assessment, feeling equally insulted and sad that her friend thought that of her.

Yes, she had not had a steady relationship since pretty much high school, but Caroline had her reasons for that and Elena knew that about her. But what else was new? Even when she had all the facts, Elena only chose to see what she wanted to see. She'd make comments at UR about how easily everything came to Caroline, but she didn't understand that nothing came to Caroline easily; nothing at all.

People took one look at her blonde hair and blue eyes and asked her if she wanted to major in journalism to be on the six o'clock news. They never took her seriously even when her credentials told them that she'd ran her school's television show and interned at the local news station since she was a high school freshman. And it wasn't just that way with just journalism, but all of her classes. Teachers either treated her differently because they thought she was pretty or they thought she was trying to use it to her advantage, which she never did in an academic setting, and gave her hell for it.

Everyone loved Elena. Her teachers loved her, her peers adored her, boys knocked each other down to get to her, every sorority on campus wanted her; Elena claimed that everything came so easily to Caroline when that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

And while Caroline loved Elena like a sister, she knew that standing next to her, she'd always get picked second. It was something that Caroline had come to terms with early on in their friendship because Elena had proven herself to be there when Caroline needed her most. She was a good friend, but caught up in the reality she made up in her head for herself sometimes.

Klaus noticed the sadness in Caroline's eyes that she hid behind her mask of pleasantries, but he heard her chuckle and mutter, "'Nice', What an awful word," He watched her silently as the conversation started to go in different directions and after watching her face, he had the urge to take her hand and squeeze it supportively and he was sad that they were on opposite sides of the table.

Most people wouldn't have noticed the look in Caroline's eye since she was so good at hiding it behind the mask which contained a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It was a kind of loneliness that few understood; it was a loneliness that he understood.

They continued with the meal and Caroline finally had her opening to talk about Bonnie B when Miranda asked how her internship was going. Caroline told her every last detail, knowing that Miranda had gone through similar work and then she decided it was time to subtly drop hints.

"My professor was actually just talking about in his lecture the other day about the power of the media, that it can move mountains,"

"It's true, the media is a powerful powerful thing. Just as it can move mountains, it can tear them down too," Miranda replied, sipping her drink.

"Yes, and he said it's invaluable for the positive change it can bring about. You know, like shedding light on poverty and poor living conditions, problems with education and-"

"Caroline," Miranda smiled warmly at her as she interrupted her, "I know what you're trying to do, Elena and Grayson have tried their hardest to change my mind," Caroline sighed, she knew the jig was up.

"Miranda, I could understand your hesitation or your resistance even if I were just some random person trying to exploit a contact for my own personal gain. But I'm coming to you because I've always looked up to you, Miranda, and admired the work you've done, and this isn't even about me, it's about the kids and _for_ the kids. And it's Bonnie's neighborhood, I mean what could be more perfect? And by perfect, I really mean life-changing. Did you know that-" Caroline was ready to tell her some of the statistics she'd shared with Klaus earlier that day, but Miranda actually held up her hand to silence Caroline's onslaught of words.

"I understand what you're saying, Caroline, and I do hope you understand: Bonnie B is one of the most important clients I've ever represented and she's only just recently retained me as her PR agent, and after a slew of ignoramuses who either didn't know up from down or when to pull their heads out of their asses," Miranda started to explain to Caroline and from her town, Caroline knew it was closing arguments and, sadly, she knew she'd already unknowingly given hers.

"And Bonnie is very busy with cutting her new album right now, and to ask her to do something like this would be a great imposition. You do understand, don't you?" she finished, her last phrase sounding less like a question and more her final word.

Klaus, having heard the whole conversation, watched Caroline shut down again but smile at her friend's mother and resisted the urge to pick up the vase of flowers on the table in front of him and throw it against the wall. Why were they acting like Caroline was asking her to bring about peace in the Middle East or cure cancer? How bloody hard was it to get a celebrity to show up at a specific place at a specific time, especially when they would benefit from the positive publicity?

And what's more, Klaus knew that even if she didn't have her internship with The Today Show, Caroline would still be trying to get this celebrity endorsement for _M.O.T.S._ just because that's who she is; she cares about people and tries her best to help them. Klaus clenched his fists but then released them when he suddenly had his goal in his sights.

* * *

After dinner, they all adjourned to the terrace for dessert and after dinner cocktails so that the staff could clear the dining room, and Caroline was taking full advantage of the free spirits. Miranda had shot her down quickly and easily, so no one could fault Caroline for drowning her sorrows in gourmet desserts and expensive liquor.

"You know, I don't think puke will come out of that dress very easily, so you might want to slow down there, tiger," Alaric said half jokingly as Caroline threw back the rest of her drink before starting in on her fourth piece of chocolate cake. Or maybe it was her fifth. Caroline had lost track.

"Shut up, Ric, I'm nursing my wounds," she muttered before taking a gigantic bite of chocolate cake that forced her to chew with her mouth partially open.

"Yeah well, you'll be nursing something tomorrow if you keep it up at this rate," he said gently, and Caroline slowed her pace even though she felt like drinking until she had alcohol poisoning or eating until she was in a sugar coma. Suddenly Caroline and Alaric were barreled into and nearly knocked down to the ground.

"Now tell her that you're not sleeping with him, Care. She doesn't believe me," Elena, apparently being one of the two things that barreled into Caroline and Alaric, said forcefully.

"What?!" Caroline said, whipping around and seeing Jenna standing between her and Alaric, awaiting her answer. It didn't take a rocket science to figure out the 'him' Elena and Jenna were referring to; it had to be the man that they were practically clawing each other's eyes out over the whole night. The man that was currently talking with Miranda and following her inside. She was pointing in the direction of Jeremy's new painting, and was no doubt taking the opportunity to drag him in front of it and brag.

"No, I'm not."

"Wait, you're _really_ telling me that you're _not sleeping with Klaus?!_" Jenna said disbelievingly, "He's _ridiculously_ hot."

"Uh, hello, I'm standing right here," Alaric said, sounding equally annoyed and uncomfortable, before taking a swig of his seltzer with bitters.

"I know, I didn't believe her when they told me this afternoon, but they both swear by it," Elena said to Jenna, ignoring Alaric's interjection.

"But he's gorgeous, Care, You're the biggest fool if you don't tap that, hon." Jenna said to Caroline seriously. "Come on, the eyes, the scruff, the accent, those dimples."

"What I would give for a scotch right now," Alaric muttered, taking Caroline's cake out of her hands and continuing to eat it for her.

"YOU GUYS!" Caroline said, her voice raised, causing some of the guests to stop talking and listen in, so she moved closer to the patio railing, knowing that Jenna and Elena would follow her. Alaric could stand and wallow in sober self-pity, she knew he knew what was really going on. "For the final time, I am not sleeping with Klaus, nor have I ever slept with Klaus, nor do I _intend_ to ever sleep with Klaus; capiche?" Both girls groaned and shook their heads.

"What a waste," Elena said.

"You're telling me," Jenna murmured in agreement and Caroline laughed and rolled her eyes at them.

"Uh, Jenna, you might want to go check up on Alaric, you know, _your husband_? He looks like he may try to swap chocolate for cognac soon," Caroline said, nodding at the man who was on his second piece of cake but drifting closer and closer to the open bar. Jenna rolled her eyes with a smile and went to go reel her husband back in.

"Well, I'm bored, you feel like leaving?" Elena asked and Caroline chuckled.

"Sure, let me just my coat," Caroline said, walking back inside with her friend close behind. As they made their way back to the foyer and to the closet, they heard faint laughter coming from the end of the hallway.

"You're right, Miranda, it does look like a squashed tomato," Klaus's voice carried from the end of the hallway and Caroline and Elena looked at each other dubiously before both turning and walking towards the voices.

They came to a stop just outside of Jeremy's room, empty while he was away at school, and could see through the half open door, Klaus was sitting at the foot of Jeremy's bed looking at some papers in his hands with a smile while Miranda stood with her back to the door, flipping through a portfolio of artwork, laughing.

"Elena said that and Jeremy got so mad, he stole her Harry Potter books and ran and locked himself in his room and threatened to rip them up," Miranda laughed as she crossed with some more papers in hand and sat next to Klaus at the foot of the bed, wiping tears away from her eyes as she told the story. "I've never heard Elena scream like that. You'd have thought he was sticking bamboo shoots under her fingernails." The two laughed and Elena and Caroline watched them silently and undetected from the doorway.

"Oh, now this...this is...very intriguing," Klaus said, studying a watercolor full of dark colors and black.

"Jeremy did that when he was in middle school," Miranda said, her nostalgia written on her face and tinting her words.

"It's very moving; very reminiscent of Victor Hugo's watercolors,"

"You're kidding!" Miranda exclaimed, "I had no idea Victor Hugo painted," Klaus nodded.

"He did some watercolors and sketches for _Les Misérables_. They actually used them as the inspiration for their new set and costume designs for the 25th anniversary concert and world tour," he murmured. "My sister very enamored with the theatre," he added and handed the watercolor back to her.

"I love _Les Misérables_, it's my favorite musical," Miranda said, taking the watercolor from him and studying it, obviously filled with pride at Klaus's comparison of Jeremy's work.

"He was a brilliant man, Hugo," Klaus started as he started to casually flip through the portfolio again. "People think he only tried to change the world through his work, but did you know he actually spoke directly to the Legislative Assembly in Paris in July of 1849?" Miranda shook her head and he continued, "He said:

_La misère est une maladie du corps social comme la lèpre était une maladie du corps humain; la misère peut disparaître comme la lèpre a disparu, Tant que ceux qui sont dans la force de l'âge et qui travaillent peuvent être sans pain! tant que ceux qui sont vieux et ont travaillé peuvent être sans asile! Ce n'est pas seulement à votre générosité que je fais appel, c'est à votre sagesse, je vous implore de réfléchir._"

Caroline missed certain words and parts of the speech, but her eyes widened as she caught words like, 'poverty' and 'wisdom' and she gasped as she suddenly realized what he was doing.

"Your French is _trés bien, monsieur_," Miranda said, with a knowing smile.

"Mercí, madam," he said with his signature smirk, and added, "You know until around the 18th or 19th century, French was considered the language of diplomacy. It was so prevalent, it was all they spoke at the Belgian courts."

"I didn't know that." Miranda said.

"There are a lot of things that we're ignorant about, but sometimes opportunities to overcome ignorance present themselves and it's our duty to make the most of them," he continued, closing the portfolio and handing it back to Miranda.

"I can see art has greatly impacted your son's life and has no doubt influenced who he is today. He and I are very similar in that regard. Art presents this great opportunity to be not just an outlet for expression but a mode of expression. It doesn't just promote creativity, social development, personality adjustment, and feelings of self-worth," he started to explain and Caroline nearly teared up as she heard him quote her earlier words.

"But it also promotes confidence, tolerance, and persistence. And I can see that just as I am, Jeremy is very inspired by the world around him and what he observes. Not only are we able to identify ourselves but the world we live in as well. Although I do not have any intention of returning home, I can assure you, I'll never forget where I come from. What's not recorded for me on a canvas is in a sketchbook or in my mind or in my heart," Klaus stood and offered his hand to Miranda, who smiled and took it to stand.

Caroline and Elena quietly and carefully backed away from the door and walked back to the closet, doing their best to remain undetected. Before she turned though, Caroline saw the look on Miranda's face, noticeably softened in the wake of Klaus's heartfelt words, and Elena wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders.

"I think you've got your celebrity endorsement," she said to Caroline with a smile, who smiled back and resisted the urge to burst out into tears of joy.

Klaus joined them in the foyer not long after Caroline and Elena crept away from the door, and Miranda came out soon after to bid them farewell. She kissed Klaus on both cheeks and actually hugged him and when he turned to shake Grayson's hand, she pulled Caroline in for a hug and whispered in her ear, "We'll be in touch about Bonnie, Caroline. If anyone at The Today Show is going to get credit for this, it's you." She quickly kissed her cheek, and pulled back, smiling at Caroline's stunned but happy face.

* * *

Klaus opened the door for the taxi and stepped out onto the curb but quickly turned and offered a hand to Caroline as she slid across the seat and stepped out of the car. They were silent, but Caroline did take his hand with a small smile. She knew she should thank him, not just for helping her out of the cab but for changing Miranda's mind too. She just didn't know how to go about thanking him.

Miranda didn't credit Klaus and his poignant and heartfelt speech for changing her mind about talking to Bonnie B about _M.O.T.S._ but Caroline knew that it was all Klaus's doing. He had brought her statistics and facts to living breathing life and made Miranda care about _M.O.T.S._ and connect with the project emotionally, and Caroline and _M.O.T.S._ were eternally in his debt.

Now here they were, riding the elevator back up to her apartment in silence, although it was more comfortable than Caroline would've expected. Klaus hadn't heard Miranda tell Caroline about Bonnie B, so he had no reason to expect her thanks. She shifted from foot to foot, trying to work out in her mind how to best bring it up to him.

They stepped off the elevator onto the 4th floor and crossed to Caroline's door. She took her keys out of her clutch and put the key in the lock. The lock stuck, as it always did, and suddenly she saw Klaus's hand reaching for the key as if he meant to try and unjam it.

"I've got it," she said quietly, fiddling with the key and finally getting it to turn the mechanisms and opening the door. She closed and locked the door behind them, placing her clutch on the coffee table before silently picking up Klaus's coat, which he'd draped over the back of a dining room chair and putting it in the closet next to hers.

When she crossed back to get a bottle of water out of the kitchen, Klaus sat down on the couch, and he took out his notebook that she saw him sketching in sometimes. He was muttered to himself while writing, not sketching, but she couldn't make out what he was saying so she kept walking. Her hand was on the refrigerator door when he suddenly called to her.

"What was Elena's father's name again? The doctor?"

"Uh, Grayson?"

"Grayson, oh right, I knew it was something with a 'G,'" he called back, less loudly, and the low murmur of muttering continued until it eventually died down. Caroline opened her bottle of water and took a sip and thought. Was that what he was doing? Writing notes about the evening in his notebook? She had to admit, it was a good plan. He always had that notebook with him, so writing down some of the details and facts that he learned about her wasn't that bad of an idea.

She decided to go and get him situated in the living room to sleep, so she slipped her heels off and padded back to the hallway to grab some blankets and pillows for him. Lucky for him, she'd decided to invest in a nice pull out couch, in case family or friends came to visit, and she thought it was pretty comfortable so he shouldn't have a problem with it.

As she walked back to her room, she realized Klaus wasn't in the living room anymore, but she heard humming coming from her bathroom. She slowly made her way to the open door and peeked in. Klaus was at her sink, rummaging through her medicine cabinet, and she opened her mouth to say something, but then she heard him murmur, "L'Oreal BB face cream" and he set it back where it belonged and made a note in his notebook.

She really needed to give him more credit. He was legitimately going through her bathroom to note what personal care products she used, and then what Alaric told her about the interview ran through her head: _This interview is going to be much more in depth, they're going to question you two separately. They're going to want to know the color of each other's toothbrush! What does he like to eat? What's his favorite music? Does he snore?_

So far, on the scale of getting to know each other, Klaus was at about a 5.5 and Caroline was treading water at about a 1.75. Caroline started to feel a little disappointed in herself from her lack of commitment to this whole arrangement, especially when it seemed like Klaus was doing everything he possibly could. She quietly made her way to her room and changed into more comfortable clothes. Once she had slipped into a pair of yoga pants, her comfy NYC shirt and a zipper hoodie, she came back into the living room with a fitted sheet, flat sheet and blankets and pillows.

Klaus wasn't in the bathroom anymore and he wasn't in the living room, but Caroline saw that one door that lead from the dining room to the patio was slightly ajar. She peered out and could smell the smoke before she saw him leaning over the railing. He'd apparently changed back into his clothes when she'd changed, and was in a pair of old sweats and a sweatshirt. And even though the door was ajar, she noticed he'd come outside to smoke his cigarette and was standing far enough away from the door and blowing his smoke away from the apartment. She stood in the doorway and smiled a little to herself, knowing it was just one more thing to thank him for, and cleared her throat gently to get his attention.

"I, uh, hope the couch is okay..." she said, leaning against the closed door, and Klaus turned to her looking a little surprised, and held his cigarette away from her and blew his smoke in the opposite direction.

"Hm? Oh, sure, sure," he replied, and Caroline glanced at his cigarette and gave him a grateful smile and turned to go prepare the couch for him.

She pushed the coffee table back a bit and pulled the cushions off to pull the bed out, putting the fitted sheet on first, then unfolded the flat sheet and shook it out.

"You like horses?" Caroline turned and was surprised to see Klaus right behind her, looking down at her feet in amusement. She glanced down and realized what he was talking about.

"No, I hate them," she replied sarcastically, turning back to put the flat sheet down.

"Just thought I'd ask," Klaus said, a smirk still playing on his lips as he went to the refrigerator. She hear the door open and close, then reminded herself of her 1.75 and knew that she had to start opening up sooner or later.

"I started riding horses when I was 7 and I rode for 10 years," she said, as she smoothed out the flat sheet then moved to start spreading out the comforter. She heard Klaus's footsteps re-enter and stop and she glanced up and saw him lean against the wall, a bottle of water in his hand.

"What made you stop?" he asked and Caroline gazed at him a moment, but turned back and continued putting his bed together. She heard his footsteps again and saw him grab the other edge of the comforter and help her straighten it out. She glanced up at him, wondering if he was going to ask her again, but when he didn't, she gave him a small and grateful smile, which he returned before handing her a pillow to toss at the head of the mattress.

"Thank you," Klaus's head snapped up at Caroline's words and his eyebrows furrowed, not sure what she was thanking him for; helping make the bed?

"For smoking outside," she added, seeing the confused look on his face, then she leaned down and fluffed the pillow and added, "And for talking to Miranda. I really appreciate it."

"Well, erm, you told me to smoke outside, so I am," Klaus started, turning to kick off his shoes, "And I didn't talk to Miranda for you..."

"Oh really? You didn't?" Caroline asked, her tone telling him that she didn't quite believe him.

"I knew you were mad at me for showing up with Elena," he added quickly and it made Caroline chuckle.

"Yes I was."

"And I knew if you were mad, you wouldn't want to study, and if we don't study, I don't get the green card..."

"Uh huh," Caroline replied, but she snuck glances at him from beneath her eyelashes as she straightened the bedding, watching him avoid her gaze and she smiled to herself knowing that he wasn't taking the credit he was due and diverting the subject. They were quiet for a moment before Caroline decided to break the silence as she crossed closer towards the foot of the bed.

"What's that tune?"

"What tune?"

"That tune, the one you're always humming," she replied, "You hum more when you're writing or drawing in your notebook, but you hummed that tune when you were cooking too."

"If it bothers you, I'll stop."

"No, no!" Caroline quickly replied, not wanting him to think that was the reason she brought it up. "I like it, it's a happy little tune."

He was gazing at her without saying a word, not explaining what the tune was or why he always hummed it, and Caroline started to get fidgety under his silent and discerning gaze, so she turned to go back check the closet for a lighter blanket; mostly she just moved to hopefully get out of his sight long enough to calm down so her face wasn't bright red, as she knew it was.

"Funny, that's the first thing you've liked about me!" Klaus finally replied, crossing around the bed to where she had been. Caroline stopped dead in her tracks at hearing his reply and she turned back to him. It shocked her a bit to see his expression and how assured he seemed of that sentiment.

"I don't dislike you, Klaus," she replied carefully, and she paused for a moment debating her wording, before adding, "I just have no opinion on you." He gave her one of his amused, dimpled smirks and she sighed and added honestly, "I just want this to be over so my life can go back to the way it was before." She watched him take in that information slowly, but from what she could tell, he seemed to accept her reasoning with a subtle but gentle nod. She turned to leave and as she turned he spoke up.

"Meanwhile, I'm just waiting for my life to begin." It made her pause again but after a moment, she kept walking. He made a face at himself, he couldn't believe that he'd given her such a line like that._ She must think I'm either some stupid sentimentalist like Stefan,_ he thought to himself angrily, _or that I'm feeding her some sort of line. Good going, Klaus, nicely done. _

He sat down and then laid back against the pillows, putting his hands behind his head. Just as he started to try and think of something else to say, Caroline suddenly marched back into the living room, three thick albums in her arms that she plopped down on the foot of the bed.

"Okay, let's get to work," she said simply, pushing Klaus's legs to the side to make more room for her to sit down at the foot of the bed and opening the top album and starting to flip through it. Klaus sat up with a smile, fascinated with this enigma before him and excited to learn more about her.

* * *

"And this was when we went to Virginia Beach when I was 14... That was the same vacation that I got in a go-kart accident..." Caroline said, reaching over Klaus's shoulder to point to a picture of her and some friends buried in the sand, her messy and sandy blonde head sticking out from the sand with a big smile across her face from laughing.

Caroline and Klaus had been pouring through her photo albums and scrapbooks for almost three hours now and she'd gone and found albums that she didn't even realize she had with her. They were halfway through the first album when Caroline said that they needed 'proper snackage' if she was going to get through these albums. Klaus had to admit he loved seeing her so at ease, which was nice after seeing her on edge...pretty much the whole time they'd known each other.

"I hope you weren't too badly injured," he replied as she sat back down beside him, holding the bowl of popcorn she'd retrieved from the kitchen out to him. He took a few pieces and chewed them thoughtfully when she waved away his concern and replied casually.

"Mostly a bruised ego, I was this close," she gestured and made a tiny space between her thumb and forefinger, "to beating Terry, my best friend when I was little, but her car sputtered out and she spun out and I crashed into her. We were both fine, luckily, we didn't crash that hard, I mean we were only going like 30 or 35 MPH, but we both slammed our heads back against the headboards, so they took us to the ER just to make sure we didn't have whiplash."

"You would've known if you had whiplash or not," he said, popping some popcorn in his mouth before turning back to look at the page.

"Hey, better safe than sorry..." Caroline said through a mouthful of popcorn and Klaus chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just funny coming from the woman wearing horse slippers..."

"I've had these since I was a freshman in college, don't judge me!" Caroline said with a defensive chuckle, punching him lightly before stretching her feet out in front of her and wiggling them, her fuzzy brown horse slippers looking up at her with their little black bead eyes.

"No judgement," he replied, laughing, "I just would've guessed they'd be birds if I had known your slippers were of the animal variety."

"Why do you say that?" Caroline asked, chewing on some more popcorn.

"Because of this..." he said, reaching over gently and taking hold of her wrist and gently swiping his thumb across the lightly inked blue swallow. Caroline froze and swallowed slowly before casting her eyes downward.

"Yeah, um. I didn't get this because I'm a bird lover," she said quietly, and Klaus gently released her wrist and turned to her. He hadn't meant to make her sad, and he was worried that she'd suddenly close herself off again after finally opening up to him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You don't have to explain why you got it. I just thought it was interesting that tattoos would be something we have in common." Caroline look up at him and searched his eyes before her eyes glanced up at him.

"What tattoos do you have?" Klaus glanced at her and seeing that the doors weren't quite closed just yet, he decided to do his best to keep them open.

He gave her a small smile and pulled his sweatshirt over his head, pulling the tank top he had on underneath it up a bit and showing his muscular torso. Caroline tried her best not to stare, and once he had the sweatshirt off, Klaus started pointing to the different ink on his body.

"This one is of a sketch I did for my sister," he said, moving the fabric of his shirt to the side a bit, pointing to the tattoo on his left arm-a feather disintegrated into tiny individual birds flying away that spread from the top of his arm onto the left side of his chest. He turned and shifted so that his back was facing Caroline and pointed to a triangle on his right shoulder blade.

"I got that one after I got accepted into art school. A triangle is the strongest shape, so I got it to remind myself that art is one of the things that gives me strength." He turned slightly and pointed to the panther on his right bicep. "And even if I remembered how I got this one, I probably wouldn't tell you anyway..."

Caroline laughed and Klaus smirked sheepishly as he turned back to face her.

"What about this one?" she asked, gently trailing her fingertips along the inked letters on the inside of Klaus's left forearm. Klaus cleared his throat, the feeling of her fingertips gently stroking the sensitive skin of his forearm distracting him slightly, and gazed down at the tattoo.

"_Quis res plurimus est quam puteus vos ingredior per incendia_," he said, and Caroline bit her lip, the sound of Latin falling from his lips sounding just as good as when French fell from them.

"I took French, not Latin," she said, her fingers still stroking the tattoo as she glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "What does it mean?"

"'_What matters most is how well you walk through the fire,_'" he replied, not moving his eyes from his tattoo and her fingertips that were lightly tracing the letters.

"No story behind it?" she asked gently, her eyes searching his guarded face that refused to look up at her.

"There's a story..." he said, not elaborating and both of them sat in silence for a bit until Caroline prompted him again.

"Will you tell me?" she asked, and Klaus was silent for a moment before he finally brought his gaze back up to hers.

"Will you tell me about the swallow?" he replied.

Caroline's eyes searched his for a moment, and neither said anything while they both gazed into each other's eyes, looking for security, empathy and trust. Caroline looked down and took her hand from Klaus's arm, touched the swallow on her wrist tenderly and took a deep breath.

"It's for my dad. I got it the day after his funeral." Klaus looked up at Caroline confusedly.

"I thought you said the bed was in case friends spent the night or if your parents came to visit."

"Yeah, my mom or Stephen, my dad's husband. They got married in a civil ceremony in Massachusetts soon after he left my mom and I."

"But you consider Stephen like a father?"

"Yes, I do, actually," Caroline said gently, a soft smile on her face. "My mom wasn't really the kind of girly, bonding kind of mother, being a workaholic sheriff and all, so Stephen was the mom I always wanted that took me shopping and listened to my boy problems." She laughed lightly to herself and after a moment her face became solemn again.

"But I can't completely fault my mom, she did sign the papers for me to get this one since I was still only 17," Caroline chuckled to herself before bringing her right foot up to the bed and slipping her fuzzy horse slipper off to reveal a tiny black star tattoo on the top of her foot. "I was 15 when I forged my mom's signature and drove with a friend to Richmond to get this one after we had had a fight. I was going through a bit of a rebellious streak." Klaus chuckled and touched the star before looking up at her with a dimpled smile.

"It's adorable. Just like you." Caroline chuckled and rolled her eyes and when she saw the way Klaus was gazing at her, she swallowed nervously and slipped the horse back on her foot.

"So... The latin?" Her eyes flicked down to the latin inked on his forearm and back up to him and he glanced down at it as well before looking back up at her. She had told him about the swallow, and it was a big step for them and for Caroline. She had opened up and was trusting him. He told himself if Caroline could take the leap of faith, so could he.

He looked down and touched the tattoo and took in a sharp breath. He couldn't believe he still felt pain of remembering the day he got the tattoo.

"I also got this the day of a funeral," he started slowly. Caroline remained slowly, seeing how pained his expression was and knowing it was hard for him to explain. She turned and scooted closer to him, hoping it signaled to him physically that she was open and there for him. He stared at his hands and took another shuddering breath. "The day we buried Henrik."

"Who's Henrik?" Caroline asked gently.

"My youngest brother." Caroline studied his face and suddenly wrapped her arms around Klaus and pulled him in for a hug. Something on his face told her he still harbored the pain of losing Henrik, whereas she had mostly come to terms with her father's passing. She also didn't want him to feel like she was just trying to get information out of him to get to know him better for the sake of the INS interview; although she was an only child, she empathized with the pain of using a younger sibling.

Klaus froze as Caroline wrapped her arms around him and tucked her chin over his shoulder. His arms slowly reached and hesitated, inches from her body. Caroline frowned to herself when she realize he wasn't hugging her back, but when she turned her head to the side, she saw his arms slowly close the distance and tentatively wrap around her. It was like he'd never been hugged before and he was learning how to for the very first time and Caroline found herself smiling, happy that she could be the one to teach him.

After a while, Klaus felt Caroline lift her head from his shoulder and he was sad to let her leave his arms, but he gently released his arms. Caroline watched him look back down at his hands as he rubbed his palm with the opposite hand.

"He was only 8 years old...and it was my fault." Caroline looked at him, a little shock spreading onto her features.

"What happened?" she asked tentatively, but Klaus didn't respond. Soon he took a deep breath and looked up at her and put a smile on his face to placate her.

"Another time," he said reassuringly, "I'd rather talk about something else."

Caroline sighed and looked away. She didn't blame him for not wanting to tell her how his brother died. She hadn't told him how her father had died, and they had made great strides and were learning a lot about each other in one night.

"So what do you want to talk about?" she said, looking back at him.

"I want to talk about you," he replied automatically. Caroline chuckled and looked away, blushing. He gazed at her, loving the way the pink spread through her smooth, pale cheeks. He cleared his throat and reached across her to pick up the photo album that she had set down.

"Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life...that 'friend' that drove to Richmond with you to get that little star..." He trailed off and waggled his eyes at her and she laughed at him.

"Okay, so maybe that 'friend' was less of the friend type and more of the boyfriend type," Caroline admitted and Klaus nodded.

"I knew he was. What was his name?"

"Matt. Matt Donovan," Caroline said, flipping through the album and finding the 'Matt section' of her scrapbook. Klaus gazed down at the pictures of a younger, more carefree looking Caroline. Some of her in her cheerleading uniform with her arms wrapped around the neck of a handsome boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, others were what his sister called 'selfies' of the two, and there was even a photo booth strip of pictures along with little scrapbook decorations scattered around the pages.

"Handsome boy," Klaus said quietly and Caroline smiled.

"Mhmm, he was," she said, "He was quarterback, Homecoming King, Prom King, my Miss Mystic escort..."

"And your first marriage proposal?" Klaus asked, cutting her off. Caroline's gaze snapped up to Klaus's. He shrugged.

"I had a hunch...and from the look on your face, I was right. And...you said, 'No...'"

"And...I said, 'No.'" Caroline admitted slowly, her gaze going to her own hands this time. "I mean, I loved him but..."

"You had dreams, plans..." Klaus supplied for her and Caroline nodded.

"I knew what would happen if I said, 'Yes,' to Matt," Caroline started, "I would've followed Matt to whatever college he went to so he could play football, then we'd end up back in Mystic Falls. He'd be some sort of high school teacher and football coach and I would've ended up working at the local news syndicate, volunteering as cheerleading coach part time, and that would've been my life. Sitting on my front porch, reminiscing about my days as Prom Queen and Miss Mystic Falls with my girlfriends over wine coolers; that would've been it."

She took a deep breath after she'd finished monologuing and Klaus was nodding as he glanced over the page some more. Caroline looked down as well, trying to figure out what he was looking at and soon he spoke again.

"And was he the one to first kiss those lips?"

Caroline's eyes froze on the page and when she tentatively brought her gaze back up to his, she saw him gazing at her intently. At the mention of lips, she couldn't help but let her gaze slip to his, and when she looked back up into his eyes, she saw that he was doing the same. Caroline scooted back a bit, suddenly feeling a little lightheaded and as if the room had suddenly spiked 100 degrees in less than five seconds.

"I, uh, don't think they're going to ask you that question," she said, clearing her throat and gathering the other albums. She stood quickly and suddenly and stepped around his legs and around the bed.

"I think that's enough for one night," she said, crossing quickly to the hallway and barely turning her head to add tell him goodnight, and soon Klaus heard her bedroom door open and close. He released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and looked back down at the scrapbook that was still in his hands and slowly turned the page.

Caroline was holding a tiny white and brown puppy in one, with no makeup on her face, but she looked just as gorgeous to Klaus. She was painting ceramic sculptures and things with Elena and some friends, the business card for 'All Fired Up," a pottery shop in Carytown, glued to the page near the pictures. She was posing near a camel in a petting zoo, painting nails and doing mud masks with friends at a sleepover, and wearing a green bob wig with shamrock glasses near an awning with a banner that read "Shamrock the Block" on what he could only guess was a St. Patrick's Day festival in what could only be downtown Richmond.

It was a little glimpse of Caroline and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like what he saw. She was so fun and bright and beautiful and full of light and while she had sadness and loss in her past, she had moved past it all and made something of herself and her life despite everyone's expectations. She was stronger than she let on, but also more sensitive too and she kept that part of herself as guarded as she could. He did like to think that he was slowly breaking down those shields and hopefully he'd get to see more of the girl he saw on these pages before him and less of the one that he was sure would push him into traffic if she got the chance.

He closed the book and went and put it down on the coffee table, knowing that Caroline would put it back with the others sooner or later. She'd brought them out of her room and brought them back there, but had rushed away with the others but left that one in her hurry. He picked his sketchbook back up on the way back and sat down, pulled some of the covers up around him, and put his pencil to the page. He knew the images in his head would still be in his dreams, but he'd never fall asleep if he didn't try to at least put some of them on the page.

* * *

Caroline closed the door of her armoire once she had tucked the scrapbooks and albums back in and turned to put her actual pajamas on. As she slid her shirt off, she hesitated before she reached to unhook her bra and glanced at the door. She hadn't locked it, feeling much more comfortable around Klaus, and this was the second time she was dressing with him in the apartment but she didn't know what made this time different than only a few hours ago.

It wasn't like he was suddenly going to storm in her room and throw her down on the bed and have his way with her; at least, she didn't think so.

Caroline quickly took off her bra and put her pajamas on as fast as she could and slid into bed. She turned onto her left side and moved her pillow around, trying to get comfortable and calm her racing mind. After awhile, she began to relax and she closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would soon come to claim her.

"Caroline?"

She shot up in surprise, the silence being broken as Klaus called out to her through the wall that separated her room from the living room.

"Yes?" she replied hesitantly.

"What side of the bed do you sleep on?"

She made a face, wondering what had prompted him to ask that and at that time too. But then she realized it was another 'couple fact' that INS would probably test them on and she gave him credit for thinking of it. She looked down at how she was situated on the bed and realized that she was a creature of habit and she indeed had a very specific way of sleeping.

"Uh, the right side..."

"Funny, I sleep on the left..."

Caroline waited to hear more from Klaus, but when she was met with only silence, she awkwardly just slid back down into the position she had been in before, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself. She heard footsteps again and leaned up on her elbow and looked at her door anxiously.

She stared at her door knob waiting for it to open, but she heard the footsteps fade away and her door remained closed. She laid back down and rolled back onto her left side and tried once again to stop the onslaught of thoughts rushing around in her brain so that she might be able to fall asleep.

What if Klaus had come in? Had he tried to come in? And if he tried, why had he stopped and decided against it?

But the question that plagued Caroline the most was: if Klaus had in fact come into her room, what would she have done?

She didn't have an answer, but even the fact that she didn't have one troubled her, so she reached over and opened her nightstand drawer and popped open the cap on the pill bottle with sleeping pills, dry swallowed one, and turned on her sound soother next to her alarm clock.

She laid back down and took a deep breath, hoping the pill would kick in soon. But most of all, hoping that she'd be able to reach an opinion on Klaus.

And sooner rather than later.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

So what did you guys think? Got some major Klaroline development here, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Also, Klaus's speech to Miranda Sommers-Gilbert was a quote from the speech Victor Hugo's speech to the Legislative Assembly on July 9, 1849.

The English translation is: "_Poverty is a disease of society such as leprosy was a disease of the human body, and can be eliminated just as leprosy has disappeared. , As long as those in the prime of life and work are without bread, as long as those that are old and have worked are homeless! It is not only your generosity that I appeal to, it is your wisdom, I implore you to think._"

Thanks to NinaPops for this French translation! ;)

And also a translation thanks to my doppelganger-tumblr-wifey-beta Christine for the Latin translation for Klaus's tattoo! It's a Charles Bukowski quote, and I've heard on the internet that it's one of Joseph's favorites, and it fit so well with Klaus's character that I just had to use it.

Also shout out to my Google Doc gang, Miranda (_livingdeadblondegirl_), Alex (_klarolineepiclove_ on tumblr; _authenticheart_ here), Christine (_melanoradrood_), Katie (_hybridlovelies_), Ash (_jomosfamilyjewels_ on tumblr; _The Deej_ here) and my new bby Leah (_approvesomuch_ on tumblr) for all their notes, words of encouragement and beta-ing! :D

**Please read & review and let me know what you think! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Green Card**_

(Inspired by the Peter Weir film)

_Klaus is an art grad student at Hunter College whose student visa is about to expire. Caroline is a journalism grad student and Today Show intern who's dream apartment only accepts married couples. Their marriage of convenience proves to be harder to pull off than they thought when INS comes knocking._

* * *

******Author's** **Note:** I'm baaaaaaaaaack! :D Did you guys miss me? That's a dumb question, I haven't stopped getting reviews on my announcement that I had to take a hiatus... But I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this out, I just didn't want to put something up for the sake of putting up something. lol But you can thank Leah (approvesomuch on tumblr) for giving me that extra kick by holding the amazing poster she made me hostage until I posted this chapter :P OKAY I'll stop babbling and let you get reading! ;)

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

Caroline took deep breaths in through her nose and released them out through her mouth as she stood in the elevator, her heart still racing from her morning jog around Central Park. She pushed the button on her iPod strapped to her arm to look at the time, then took a large gulp from her water bottle. It was just about eight, so she still had time to shower and catch the B Train to class.

She stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor, wiping some sweat off her forehead and upper lip, and took another sip of water as she turned her key that was attached to an elastic wrist band for running in the lock and entered the apartment. She glanced over and saw that the sleeper sofa was put away and the blankets were tossed over the arm of the couch and the pillows were piled on the other side. She glanced around and saw the door to the patio ajar and knew Klaus must be outside smoking.

She couldn't fight her OCD tendencies and crossed to the couch swiftly and folded up the blanket neatly and placed it back over the arm of the chair and rearranged the pile of pillows neatly on the couch. She smiled and took a deep breath, contented with her work, and turned to go back to her room to get ready to shower.

Once she was in her robe, she peeked out of her door and looked in the direction of both the patio and the living room. When she didn't see Klaus, she scurried quickly across the hall to the bathroom and closed the door and locked it. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust Klaus, but Caroline hadn't lived with a roommate since college and she'd never lived with the opposite sex and for some reason, the thought of Klaus being so close while she was naked and vulnerable in the shower didn't do much for assuaging her paranoia of him living under the same roof.

The steady stream of warm water and steam immediately calmed Caroline down and she stood for a few moments and just let the water cascade over her head and body and relaxed. Not only did it feel good to wash the sweat away, but it relaxed her aching muscles and she stretched casually before turning slightly to grab her shampoo.

She frowned and her brow furrowed as she brought the bottle up to inspect it and she realized why it didn't feel like her squeeze bottle of John Frieda Root Awakening; because it _wasn't_ her bottle of John Frieda Root Awakening. Instead she was looking at a bottle of Redken for Men Mint Clean Invigorating Shampoo. She glanced around and realized her once private sanctuary of feminine scented shower products was being invaded by robust, manly scented things. He had a pumice. _A PUMICE_, no doubt to buff his rough, man feet. Caroline shuddered; even _she_ didn't use a pumice in the shower and she was the woman with the loofah, washcloth and back brush in her shower.

She gave into her other personality weakness besides her OCD tendencies, her curiosity, and opened the bottle and sniffed. She smiled and murmured at the fresh, minty scent, loving how it really was as "invigorating" as the bottle claimed. Klaus did typically smell fresh, yet musky, whereas Tyler always smelled like he bathed in musk and cologne. She realized it must be because he used all products with musk, unlike Klaus who varied yet complimented his scents with his minty shampoo, fresh-smelling "weightless conditioner," and his expensive citrusy body wash.

Then she remembered that she was standing in her shower and smelling all of her houseguest's personal shower items; her houseguest who also happened to legally be her husband. She also had class in less than an hour, so she sped up her shower regimen and soon made her way out of the bathroom.

"Oh good, you're finished," Klaus's voice greeted her and her blonde, blow dried locks twirled as her head snapped towards him.

"Uh, yes, I'm sorry, I went for a jog and I have class, do you need the shower?"

"No! No, I just didn't want your eggs to get cold."

"My...eggs?"

"Yes, and the bacon...I've left the bacon warming on the stove, but I didn't want the eggs to keep cooking," Klaus said, crossing back to the kitchen and calling to her over his shoulder.

"You're...cooking me breakfast," Caroline said, stating the obvious more than questioning and Klaus chuckled.

"Love, I know I'm from the U.K. but typically bacon and eggs are considered breakfast, are they not?"

"Uh, yeah..." Caroline said, "Um...thanks. I'll uh, just finish...getting ready," Caroline said and hurried into her room. Klaus smiled and turned back to the food on the stove and soon Caroline emerged in a sweater and dress pants and flats.

"You look lovely," Klaus commented, putting plates and cups on the small kitchen table before turning back to the pan on the stove.

"Thanks," Caroline said quietly with a smile as she stepped into the kitchen. "I'm going down to M.O.T.S. today after class with the Today Show to film Bonnie B performing for the kids and we'll be working all night to get the piece ready to air tomorrow."

"The news never sleeps," Klaus smirked, lightly salting and peppering the eggs.

"Yep, that's it in a nutshell," Caroline said, crossing to the coffee pot and pouring herself a cup. She got creamer from the fridge and poured a bit in, then glanced around and realized Klaus hadn't set silverware yet. She did her best to reach around Klaus since he was partially blocking the silverware drawer, and not knowing she was behind him, Klaus turned and nearly bumped into her.

"Oh, sorry," Caroline said, pulling back a bit.

"No, no, please, I'm in your way," Klaus replied quickly, stepping back and opening the drawer for her. Caroline gave him a small smile and thanked him and grabbed a spoon and went back to sit at the table. Klaus smirked to himself as he scooped the eggs onto plates next to pieces of bacon. He grabbed forks out of the silverware drawer before crossing to place them and the plates on the table. He dashed back over to the refrigerator and placed a glass pitcher of orange juice on the table.

"Freshly squeezed," he said, as he took the seat across from Caroline and smiling before taking a bite of eggs. Caroline glanced back and forth from the plate to Klaus and his smile waned a little as he took in her wary expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just...why are you so happy?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're just so...damn chipper, and it's kinda freaking me out," Caroline said skeptically as she stood and crossed back to the fridge and brought back a bottle of ketchup which she shook before drizzling some on her eggs.

"Is it a crime for a man to be in good mood?" Klaus said in an amused tone, taking a sip of juice.

"No, but for a suspect like you, it's out of character and suspicious to say the least," Caroline replied, taking a bite of her eggs, moaning as she realized just how much she needed a simple, delicious breakfast.

"Touché," Klaus chuckled. "It's nothing, I've just been rather inspired all weekend and I spent most of it in my apartment working while you were interning."

"Oh, that's...good. Yeah, sorry, I've just been getting all this Bonnie B stuff worked out," Caroline explained, taking a sip of her coffee before continuing and taking a bite of bacon. "I mean I called my producer, the one that's heading up the internships, on Saturday morning and she went ballistic and this has all kind of snowballed and happened so fast. But I'm glad! The sooner we can get Bonnie in with the kids, the better."

"I understand," Klaus nodded, pouring himself more juice after he finished his eggs. "So you're filming this afternoon and it'll air tomorrow?"

"If we can turn it over fast with our editing, yeah...hopefully!"

"Well I wish you all the best."

"Thank you," Caroline said simply. She glanced up at him again before staring at her food, and Klaus chuckled.

"Caroline?"

"What?"

"As much as I appreciate you wanting to separate our arrangement from your personal life, I would very much like it if you and I could get along and be...friends."

"You wanna be friends?" Caroline repeated blankly.

"Yes," Klaus laughed again, "is that so hard to believe? I mean, I'm not the best at making friends...or keeping them for that matter... so I have very few, as you so keenly guessed..." Caroline flushed at the memory of her accusing him of not knowing what it was like to have friends pick up on your lies because of his lack of them. "So I thought that making breakfast might be a nice peace offering. A...white flag, if you will."

Caroline nodded as she listened to him then he finished and looked at her, waiting for her response, and she cleared her throat.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds...nice. But I can't let you take all the blame, I haven't exactly been the most welcoming host or most forthcoming."

"I beg to differ," Klaus interjected, "I very much enjoyed Friday night after returning from dinner. I learned a lot about you and I find you quite fascinating." Caroline blushed and chuckled.

"I'm nothing special."

"Again, I beg to differ." Caroline smiled at him as he gazed at her and a small smile spread across his face.

"Well, I don't know if I can be friends with a man who uses more bath items than I do," Caroline said teasingly, taking a bite of her bacon and smirking at him. Klaus chuckled then groaned an embarrassed groan. "Seriously, Klaus, did you rob a drug store or something?"

"No, but my baby sister might have. Honestly, I was using dollar 2-in-1 shampoo and a bar of Zest until she showed up at my apartment one semester unannounced to visit and jabbered on about how bad it was for my pores or follicles or some nonsense like that..." Caroline giggled at his sheepish expression and took a quick sip of her juice.

"Well that explains the Redken. So you have a sister?" she asked, vaguely remembering him mentioning her when he was talking to Miranda.

"Yes, and only one, thank god. I'm not sure which is more troublesome, Rebekah's meddling or me having to chase off boys that she _should_ be beating away with a stick."

"Sounds like the standard younger sister," Caroline murmured.

"Well she's not half the trouble my younger brother Kol is...he's about three restraining orders away from jail time, I just know it." Caroline chuckled at his assessment of his sibling.

"So is that it? Rebekah and Kol?"

"Rebekah is the youngest, then Kol, then myself, and Elijah is the eldest. He and my sister-in-law Katherine are finishing renovations and construction on their house in New Jersey."

"So they're pretty close, what about Rebekah and Kol?"

"Rebekah is a junior at NYU studying public relations and media. I'm rather hesitant about telling you more because the two of you are perfectly suited, you're likely to become evil geniuses and take over the world together, you two are so similar," he said as Caroline giggled and sipped her juice. "Kol left Stanford and a baseball scholarship to 'find himself,' more accurately known as trading in his student VISA for a tourist VISA in order to gallivant all over the U.S... Suffice it to say, he's been finding women a lot more than he's been finding himself."

"He sounds like quite the character," Caroline said amusedly.

"That's one way of putting it," Klaus said, the disbelief and annoyance on his face as he raised his eyebrows and finished his juice. "But he's got a good heart deep down... deep deeeeep down." Caroline chuckled along with Klaus but sighed.

"I'm so jealous though...I've always wanted to be part of a big family."

"Well congratulations, love. You're a Mikaelson now," Klaus said jokingly. "Word of advice: if Kol starts humping your leg, just hit him with a rolled up newspaper."

"Or squirt water at him with a spray bottle?"

"See? You were born to be a Mikaelson!" Klaus exclaimed and Caroline couldn't help but snort as she laughed along with Klaus. When their laughter died down, she glanced over and caught a glimpse of the clock on the top of the stove.

"Oh, shoot, I've got to get to class!" she exclaimed, jumping up and carrying her dishes to the sink. She quickly scraped her leftovers into the side with the garbage disposal and tossed the dish into the other side and turned and grabbed her coat and bag and headed for the door.

"So...friends then?" Klaus called after her and it made her stop. She paused to think and slowly turned to him and saw his expectant face. She twisted her lips in consideration and glanced around before looking back up at him and giving him a coy smile.

"We'll see, Foot Pumice..." Klaus chuckled and Caroline gave him an impish grin before turning and heading towards the door, missing his contented and pleased smile as she left.

* * *

"CAROLIIIIIIIIIIINE!" Caroline grunted and laughed as half a dozen or so small bodies collided into her all at once.

"Oh my goodness! You'd think I've been gone for a century! It's been less than a week you guys!" she laughed as she gazed down at all of their bright and smiling faces in the M.O.T.S. auditorium.

"That's too long!" Jose, a seven year old with big brown eyes shouted while Chelsea, a nine year old with short blonde curls and glasses added, "WAY too long!" and Caroline chuckled. A little six year old named Emma jumped up with her hands outstretched. Caroline chuckled and took her porkpie hat off and handed it to Emma, who quickly thrusted it on her head.

"Well we'll have plenty of time to hang out after the big surprise," she assured them as they released her long enough to take her coat off.

"WHAT IS IT?! WHAT IS IT?!" the group squealed and Caroline just shook her head and laughed.

"You're going to have to go take a seat to find out!"

She laughed as her vague deflection was met with groans and she helped the M.O.T.S. volunteers usher the kids into their seats before turning and making her way to the loading dock where her producer Alexandra and some crew from the Today Show and M.O.T.S. personnel were waiting to meet Bonnie B.

Soon the car with tinted windows was approaching and once it was stopped, the door opened and Caroline saw the black combat boot emerge and meet the pavement. Bonnie emerged from behind the door in her unique mixture of classic and contemporary with her hair styled like an old black and white screen siren but in pair of slouchy denim pants with the Empire State building printed on them in neon yellow and purple.

She also wore cropped black top with long fringing with a cropped top of silver chain mail over that with a black leather jacket with leopard print sleeves and trim. Her bright smile practically lit up the parking lot, even though they were outside, as she exited the car and closed the door for herself. Miranda emerged from the other side and Bonnie's bodyguard came around to stay by her side as they made their way over to the group.

"Afternoon everyone!" she said brightly, and everyone murmured and smiled in response.

"Thank you so much for coming, this is such an honor," T'arah, the head of the Music of the Streets program, gushed as she stepped forward and shook Bonnie's hand.

"Oh please! This is my neighborhood! The honor is mine!" Bonnie said, suddenly pulling T'arah into a hug, which the middle aged woman gladly and warmly returned. "I'm just glad that our friends from NBC are here to give M.O.T.S. a platform!" she added, turning towards the Today Show crew, all of whom were able to be noted as crew from the NBC lanyards with "Today Show personnel" printed on the badge dangling around their necks.

"It's our pleasure," Caroline's producer Alex said, graciously shaking Bonnie's hand. "But this was all Caroline's idea," she added, gesturing to the blonde. Bonnie nodded and smiled, offering her hand to Caroline, who gladly took it.

"So this is the infamous Caroline Forbes," Bonnie murmured with a smile. "Miranda's told me all about you, and I'm so glad you asked her to get me involved with this."

"I'm so glad you could be involved, Miss...B," Caroline said unsurely and the beautiful singer chuckled.

"Please, call me Bonnie, we're all friends here," she insisted, and she suddenly did a double take towards Caroline. "That's the Diane von Furstenberg Lola printed canvas tote!"

"What?" Caroline said, before glancing down and looking at the bag on her shoulder that the singer was staring and pointing at. "Oh yes! It is, I got it on sale at Bergdorfs," she added proudly, then suddenly felt like a complete idiot for bragging about a bargain purchase to an international superstar. But the caramel skinned brunette smiled at her and suddenly turned to her bodyguard and with a nod to him, took hold of the bag he was carrying for her and turned back to Caroline.

"I got mine at a sample sale when I was touring in London!" Bonnie beamed, proudly holding up her top handle Diane von Furstenberg leather handbag.

"What a snag!" Caroline smiled, admiring the purse.

"How much did you get yours for?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"I don't remember, about $200 I think?" Caroline replied and Bonnie grimaced.

"Damn! I got mine for $600... We need to go shopping sometime, I need to get me some of your bargains!" Bonnie said, handing her purse back to her bodyguard.

"Um, okay!" Caroline smiled and laughed. She glanced over at Miranda, who was standing behind Bonnie and smiling and Bonnie soon turned to Elena's mom and smiled as well.

"Miranda, can you get Caroline my phone number? I'm sure I have some free time after recording one of these days for lunch and a shopping date," she said, glancing back at Caroline, who was still grinning from ear to ear.

"Sure thing, Bon," Miranda said, winking at her and taking out her cell to send Caroline Bonnie's information.

"Alright!" Bonnie exclaimed, clapping her hands and rubbing them together. "Let's get this show on the road! Caroline, you're introducing me, right? I'm going to go warm up with my accompanist and then let's get rockin' and rollin'!"

The group all cheered and murmured and followed Caroline and Bonnie in as they snuck the artist backstage. Bonnie gave Caroline a quick hug before she hurried off to warm up and once the Today Show crew was in places, T'arah and the rest of the M.O.T.S. exec board parted the curtain that was lowered on the stage.

"Okay everyone! We have a very special surprise for you all today, but we'd first like to thank the woman that made this all possible. Please everyone give a big M.O.T.S. welcome to Caroline Forbes!"

Caroline took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage and smiled as she heard many familiar voices screaming her name happily amidst the applause and she waved and blew kisses to all of them. Once the applause and cheers died down, she hugged T'arah and took the mic that the motherly woman handed her.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Caroline said brightly into the microphone.

"Good afternoon, Caroline," the kids all said in unison.

"I'm sorry, that didn't sound like the energetic M.O.T.S. greeting I know and love," Caroline smiled, challenging the kids. "I said, 'Good afternoon, everyone!'"

"GOOD AFTERNOON, CAROLINE!" the kids repeated, this time with much more gusto and excitement and Caroline smiled.

"There we go! I'm so glad to be here today, as I am everyday I come here, but today T'arah was right: today is very special and we have a special surprise for all of you, and that's why I brought my friends at the Today Show to come and join us today! Can everyone turn and wave to my Today Show friends?" All of the kids turned in their seats and enthusiastically waved at the crew and cameras, big smiles on all of their faces.

When the kids turned to face the cameras, Caroline glanced stage left and saw Bonnie in the wings, nodding and smiling at her and Caroline smiled back at her.

"Okay you guys! Are you ready for your surprise?"

"Yeah!" the kids screamed excitedly, turning back to face Caroline.

"Are you reaaaally?" she said, feigning disbelief.

"YEAH!" the kids cheered and Caroline smiled and extended her hand, beckoning Bonnie towards her and the brunette smiled and strutted to meet her in the middle of the stage.

There was a universal gasp from the audience, and then suddenly the auditorium erupted into screams and cheers and kids were hopping out of their seats in excitement upon seeing Bonnie. She turned and smiled and waved to them before going and hugging Caroline and taking the mic she offered her.

"Thank you guys so much! And thank you Caroline for bringing me here today!" Bonnie said as Caroline bowed off and eventually made her way to stand at the back of the auditorium with the rest of the Today Show crew.

"I am so excited to be here today with you all! Unfortunately Music of the Streets wasn't around when I was growing up not too far from here, just over there on Madison and Rutgers," Bonnie said, pointing in the direction of her old neighborhood. The teachers and volunteers applauded and cheered, as did some of the kids. "But I think what M.O.T.S. does for New York is invaluable not just to the arts, but for future generations...the future singers and dancers and music producers that will do big things in the world. I'm lucky that my Grams raised me in a house full of music, because I wouldn't be who I am today without music and dance and I'm so happy to perform for you guys! And I hope to meet each and every one of you afterward because I want to get to know each and every one of you talented kids and see what you've been working on and what you can do!"

The kids all cheered and screamed, and Caroline couldn't help the huge grin that spread on her face as she watched the kids' reactions. Jose was screaming so loudly he was turning red in the face and Emma was standing on her chair and waving Caroline's hat at Bonnie while she cheered.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Bonnie called and the curtain parted, revealing her accompanist on the acoustic guitar and three backup singers dressed in either black, neon green or purple, all of the colors in Bonnie's ensemble. The guitarist started strumming his guitar and Bonnie listened for a bit before picking up on the beat, glancing at her backups and nodding, and singing.

"_Tonight I'm gonna throw my past away _

_Tonight I'm gonna live like my last day _

_It makes wanna say..._"

Bonnie struck a quick pose before picking up the first verse.

"_When you're around _

_I can tell _

_I'm about to lose myself _

_I'm about to lose myself _

_Caught up in _

_The moment again _

_Boy you take my breath away _

_Boy you take my breath away_"

Her backup singers joined her for the bridge and Bonnie tapped her hand on her leg along with the beat of the song.

"_(I don't care) _

_If people wanna_

_(Stop and stare) _

_We'll just pretend that_

_(No one's there) _

_They'll fade away_

_Boy you make me wanna say _

_Wanna say... _

_Tonight I'm gonna throw my past away _

_Tonight I'm gonna live like my last day _

_It makes wanna say..._"

Bonnie and the dancers smiled and did synchronized simple dance movements as they sang the simple chorus.

"_Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah _

_It makes me wanna say... _

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah _

_It makes me wanna say... _

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah _

_It makes me wanna say..._

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah _

_It makes me wanna say..._"

Bonnie began her second verse and Caroline smiled and tapped her foot along with the music.

"_From here on out _

_We'll live out loud _

_You and me against the world _

_You and me against the world _

_Don't matter how _

_Things turn out _

_Baby we're together now _

_Baby we're together now..._"

Bonnie began the bridge again and Caroline suddenly felt someone standing behind her and a familiar, warm accented voice was suddenly in her ear.

"I'm glad to see she was well worth the trouble of getting her here."

Caroline turned and was surprised to be greeted by the dimples that had nearly made her late for class that very morning.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline said, not sounding annoyed or agitated but actually smiling and sounding happy to see him.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by," Klaus replied casually, crossing his arms and stepping forward to stand next to Caroline. She glanced at him for a moment before following his gaze to the stage.

"Really," she said suspiciously, the playful grin still tugging at the corners of her lips. "You just happened to be on this side of town?"

"Yeah, I had a meeting with my advisor at the college."

"Hunter College is like 10 minutes from the apartment," Caroline said, looking at him pointedly.

"Yep," he said simply.

"And we're like, 18 minutes away by taxi, 33 minutes by train," she added, "so how exactly is that 'in the neighborhood'?"

"It was actually only a 32 minute train," Klaus corrected, "but who's counting."

Caroline's gaze snapped back to him, but he kept his focus on Bonnie's performance on the stage. She gazed at him and thought about all the things Klaus had done for her-from the flowers and the frame, to convincing Miranda about Bonnie, to cooking her bacon and eggs that morning-all without being asked and she found it very hard to remember any of the horrible things he'd done or why she'd taken a disliking to him in the first place.

She glanced back around at the kids, taking in all the smiles and happy faces that filled the auditorium, and looked back at him. He'd gone out of his way and shown up at M.O.T.S. unannounced just to support her, and it wasn't until that moment that Caroline realized she would've been sad had he not been there.

Without a second thought, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to Klaus's cheek. When she pulled back, he turned to stare at her, an adorably surprised expression on his face that made her smile.

"What...what was that...for?" he stammered quietly, his eyes searching hers questioningly, like he thought he'd imagined it. She smiled up at him through her eyelashes and snaked her arm through his.

"For being my friend," she said simply, gazing back at him appreciatively. It summed up all of Klaus's generosity, but her own dimples appeared as she squeezed his arm gently and added, "Thank you."

Klaus gazed down at her and she felt the same kind of rush she felt while looking at the photo albums with him on Friday night and she could feel her face flush red. When she cast her gaze down, she suddenly felt a light touch on her cheek that brought her eyes back to his and Klaus fingertips grazed her cheek as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It was all for you," he whispered gently and Caroline felt her eyes flutter as she tried to catch her breath. Her stomach was in knots and he was gazing at her with such warmth and adoration, she felt lightheaded. Luckily for her, a congenial and welcoming voice suddenly broke them out of their moment.

"Klaus! So good to see you again so soon!" Miranda said approaching them and quickly wrapping her arms around him in a big embrace.

"Hello, love," Klaus chuckled, pulling away from Miranda and kissing her on both cheeks. "How are you?"

"Great! Now that you're here!" she winked at him before turning to the blushing blonde beside him. "Caroline, this is simply marvelous. Bravo, darling!"

"Oh, I couldn't have done it without you, Miranda!" Caroline smiled, returning the woman's hug.

"Oh, well that's very true," she replied knowingly and Caroline and Klaus chuckled. "Actually, I wanna steal you for a second, sorry Klaus, but Alexandra said that she has something she needs the two of us to talk about, it'll just take two minutes."

"Okay," she said immediately, and turned to look apologetically at Klaus who was already holding up a hand and shaking his head.

"Please, go, you're at work! Work away, love," he said with a smile and Caroline smiled back. As Miranda and Caroline walked away, Klaus couldn't help but smile as he watched her leave, throwing glances back at him and her smiling when she saw he was still watching her.

* * *

"Say it again!" Emma squealed in delight, bouncing happily in Klaus's lap. The dimpled Brit chuckled and snuck a glance at Caroline who was playing with a group of kids nearby and watching him and listening in with a smile on her face.

"Water," Klaus repeated and Emma and the small crowd of preteen girls giggled and squealed.

"_Water_," the girls all repeated what they thought Klaus's accent sounded like and giggled more.

"What about the first little piggie's house?! What was it made of?" Chelsea asked, her eyes shining and anxiously awaiting his answer.

"...Straw?" Klaus said after thinking for a moment and all the little girls erupted into laughter and squeals again and repeated him.

"And what's her name?!" J'nay, a little eight year old with two little buns on the top of her head, exclaimed, pointing her little finger in Caroline's direction. Klaus turned and followed where J'nay pointed and smiled as he watched her strum an acoustic guitar along with a group of twelve year old boys that had surrounded her.

"Caroline," he said, a warm, dimpled smile spreading on his face as her name slipped past his lips. She glanced up at the mention of her name and smiled back at him before turning back to the kids and the girls around Klaus giggled and some sighed wistfully.

"That's my favorite one!" Chelsea said, gazing up at Klaus with stars in her eyes and Klaus continued to gaze at the woman in question, his smile still in place.

"Mine too," he said and Caroline snuck another look at him and smiled before T'arah was clapping in the middle of the room to get everyone's attention.

"Alright kids, it's almost time to go home, so Bonnie and Caroline have to leave now!" The kids all groaned and suddenly three of the girls near Klaus, including Emma who was still in his lap, suddenly grabbed onto him.

"NOT KLAUS!" they wailed, and Caroline and Klaus immediately chuckled, as did T'arah.

"Yes, and Mr. Klaus too," she said with a knowing smile and the girls groaned along with the other kids.

"Don't worry, sweethearts, I'll be back next week with Caroline."

"You will?!" the girls squealed.

"You will?" he heard Caroline echo the girls, and he smiled at her surprised face.

"Of course," he said, giving her a dimpled grin, which she returned and the kids all took turns saying goodbye to Bonnie, Caroline and Klaus before being ushered away by the M.O.T.S. volunteers to get their things.

"Okay, lunch is on me! Where are we going to eat? I'm starving!" Bonnie said, approaching Klaus and Caroline with her bodyguard in tow.

"Really?" Caroline said, surprise still etched on her face.

"Duh! We're going out to celebrate this amazing day!" Bonnie said, bumping hips with Caroline as if they had known each other all their lives.

"Well this is your part of town," Klaus murmured, "what do you suggest, love?"

"Okay do you guys like beignets?" Bonnie said excitedly.

"Of course," Klaus replied.

"Never had one," Caroline shrugged and Bonnie and Klaus gaped.

"What!?" they both said in unison and Caroline glanced sheepishly between the two of them and shrugged again and Klaus and Bonnie looked at each other and nodded.

"Beignets it is then," Bonnie nodded, smiling and gesturing for them to follow her out to her car.

"Mmm, beignets, can't remember the last time I had a really good beignet," Klaus murmured pensively.

"I swear, this sandwich shop is like a little slice of New Orleans," Bonnie assured him and Klaus murmured again.

"I miss New Orleans...my family and I lived there for a few years. Have you been?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I was touring last year and went to NOLA during one of my days off, and I was so glad to learn that Cheeky Sandwiches was authentic..."

"Sounds delectable," Caroline commented and Bonnie nodded.

"It is..." she grinned, opening the car door for them, and she suddenly added as Caroline ducked down to get into the car, "So how long have you guys been dating?"

"Oh we're not-"

"He's not my-" Klaus and Caroline spoke at the same time.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" Bonnie apologized profusely, "I just assumed..."

"Klaus is just an old friend," Caroline repeated their cover story and Klaus nodded in agreement.

"Yes...friends," he repeated, but he gazed at Caroline appreciatively, and she cleared her throat and quickly got into the car as Bonnie watched the two of them. The rest of the afternoon was nice (although Caroline was starting to wonder if she had "Mrs. Klaus Mikaelson" tattooed on her forehead in ink invisible only to her) and the three hung out for almost two hours before Bonnie dashed off to get back to the studios to keep laying down tracks for her album.

"Well I should probably be getting back to the studios," Caroline said, tossing her trash away and walking to the street with Klaus following behind.

"Yeah, and I've gotta go back to my apartment to work more," he nodded.

"Would you like to share a cab, or...?"

"No, well you're headed uptown, and I think I'll just take the tube," he said, pointing in the direction of the nearest subway station and Caroline nodded.

"Okay, well...thanks again, for today..." she said, not sure how to say goodbye and Klaus smiled, picking up on her discomfort and deciding to take control.

"Anytime, love," he said, reaching over to embrace her and he was pleased to find her hugging him back. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, I'll be around later tomorrow..." she nodded as they separated and Klaus smiled back at her.

"Great, laters then."

"Laters," Caroline echoes, mimicking his accent and they both chuckled as they headed in opposite directions, glancing back once to look at the other, but both missing the other's backward glance.

* * *

**Author's** **Note:** IS EVERYONE OKAY?! OR DID I KILL YOU WITH KLAROLINE FEELS?! lol I nearly killed my lovely beta gals with Klaroline feels, but yay Klaroline friendship and Klaroline friendship flirting and _genuine feelings _developing! ;) But yeah, this was a big step for Klaroline, and I promise it's only going to get better before everything comes to a head with INS!

So thanks to my lovely beta gals, Leah (approvesomuch), Miranda (livingdeadblondegirl), Alex (klarolineepiclove), and Katie (hybridlovelies) for encouraging me and beta'ing and making me a better writer!

**_As always, please R&R!_ ;D **

**xo B**


End file.
